《Torrhen Stark The Black Wolf》


 Prologue

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 Chapter 1 Going home to Winterfell

    Going Home to Winterfell


    Torrhen Stark scrubbed his face with water in the stream. The bastard''s crusted blood was hard to wash off. The water was freezing cold but it was nothing he couldn''t handle.


    He got out of the water after he washed his whole body and moved towards the rock where he kept his clothes.


    The Septon waited there, he gave Torrhen a cloth to dry himself with.


    "I noticed," Torrhen said, "that you were praying a lot for the bastard when I was taking care of him, Bennard."


    "I was praying for your soul." Bennard said as he fiddled with the crystal about his neck. "What you did to the Bastard¡­. I can''t speak of it. Why do you do things like this Torrhen. I know that there is kindness in your heart."


    "The bastard deserved what he got," Torrhen said as he put on his clothes. "Which one did you pray to?"


    "To the Father," Bennard said. "So that he can judge you justly not for your deeds but to whom you performed the deeds on."


    Torrhen laughed. "If you want to pray for me Septon. Pray to the Stranger."


    Bennard gave an angry grunt and started muttering to himself, "Who prays to Death. These days I don''t know what I can do to change that mind of yours."


    "Wake them up, Bennard." Torrhen said. "We need to leave."


    "It has been only an hour since they rested." Bennard said. "The horses will die with exhaustion at this rate."


    They had traveled non-stop from the place where they killed the Bastard and his Men. They were on the border of Bolton lands and Stark lands.


    "We need to get on the road as quick as possible," Torrhen said. "We can exchange our lame horses for new ones on the way. The Bolton must have sent parties to search for us."


    The Pack rose without complaint as Bennard woke them up one by one and started making preparation for the road.


    The merchant came to Torrhen, "I must be on my way, my lord. I am heading south."


    "Thank you for sending word of this business with the bastard." Torrhen said.


    "Its my job ain''t it," the merchant said. "I get paid well giving information to you."


    "I would stay out of Bolton lands in the future if I were you." Torrhen said. "Do not hesitate to reach out to the Pack if you hear something like this ever again."


    The merchant gave his thanks and was on his way south. By then the Pack was ready to leave.


    Torrhen hopped onto his horse and picked up Rose and seated her in front of him.


    "Where are we going?" Rose asked.


    "Home." Torrhen said.


    "Finally!" White beard Owen said. "After all this time I can get to meet my family once again."


    "Winterfell?" Rose said, sleepily.


    Torrhen nodded. "Yes."


    "It must have been hard making this decision." Cleyton the Knight said. "Will your father accept the Pack into his home?"


    "Don''t know," Torrhen said. "We will see when we arrive at Winterfell."


    The rest of the Pack didn''t have the energy to talk, they were half dead with exhaustion as they started on the road again.


    ***


    It took few days for the pack to stand in front of this huge castle of the north, Winterfell. Torrhen''s home, the home he ran away from when he was just a kid. He remembered the warmth the castle walls provided, the hot springs in the Godswood, and the halls and yard where Torrhen, Robb and Jon played and made trouble to the castle''s inhabitants.


    It feels like only yesterday when they were throwing snow balls from atop the gate at fat tom and ran without a care when a visiting black brother caught them at it.


    Torrhen couldn''t say he didn''t miss his family though he wanted to avoid ever facing them again after the things he had done away from home. Will they ever accept him if they heard what he had become.


    "Its going to be okay Torrhen," Alys said, strange chirping noises came from the covered box she held in her hand. "They will come running to hug you and kiss you and slobber over you like Whitefoot does. Don''t you girl."


    Whitefoot barked in response as they moved to enter the castle.


    "You are looking too pale Owen." Jax said, laughing. "Only a fortnight ago you were begging us to come to Winterfell with excitement . Now that we are here why are you so pale faced, its as if you have seen the Other."


    "Just leave me be, Jax" Owen said. "I am not certain as before whether I will live to see another day or not."


    A guard saw Torrhen and immediately recognized the Stark dark hair and grey eyes and ran to the Great keep shouting "He''s back. The young lord''s back. Torrhen''s back."


    The inhabitants of Winterfell gathered in the yard and started talking with others as they eyed the Pack wondering who Torrhen has stayed with all this time.


    Ser Rodrick Cassel, the Master-at-Arms at Winterfell took his reins and helped Rose down.


    Torrhen disembarked from the horse.


    "We thought you had died," Ser Rodrick said, with his large white whiskers, "when we didn''t receive word from you after you left Oldtown."


    "I missed you too Rodrick." Torrhen said.


    Rodrick said nothing more when he saw Owen among the Pack, his mouth frowned.


    "Not now Rodrick, please." Torrhen said.


    Rodrick nodded with his angry eyes and led his horse away to the stables.


    Catelyn Stark emerged from the Great Keep.


    His mother approached him warily like she couldn''t believe what she was seeing. Her breath was shaking and tears fell from her eyes.


    "You look beautiful mother." Torrhen said.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.Catelyn slapped Torrhen hard on the face. The yard turned silent as the slap rang on the walls.


    Torrhen caressed his broken lip with his hand and said, "I missed you too mother."


    Catelyn broke into a sob and Torrhen gave her a good strong hug to make up for all the hugs he had missed. "I am home. Nothing happened to me see, your boy is home safe and sound isn''t that all that matters."


    Owen had gotten on both his knees on the muddy ground and bowed his head to the ground when he saw Lord Eddard Stark enter the yard.


    Ned looked at Owen and the Pack before he set his gaze upon Torrhen. He said nothing but his piercing silent gaze told everything Torrhen needed to know.


    Owen was no doubt going to beg for mercy, so Torrhen spoke before he could start his rant. "Can we share your hearth father, or has northern hospitality changed so much that they would let children stand in the cold."


    Owen raised his head sharply at Torrhen wanting to kill him himself with the way he had spoken. "My lord¡­ I¡­"


    "Get the children inside," Lord Ned Stark said when he gazed upon Rose and Eric. "Vayon Poole have rooms set up¡­ for his companions. And you two in my solar now."


    "My lord¡­." Owen said his face paling.


    "What?" Lord Ned Stark said sharply.


    "Bread and Salt my lord. Please." Owen said


    And when he had taken a healthy serving of the Bread dipped in the Salt Owen''s fear of getting killed melted from his face.


    ***


    "Where were you all this time?" Ned said.


    Torrhen and Owen were in his father''s Solar.


    Torrhen took a seat as he said, "Here and there just traveling, father. Why did you miss me? I don''t see you shedding any tears for me."


    Owen stood still as a rock hoping lord Stark would not notice him.


    "I had reports from my banner men." Ned said. "They have sent word that you visited their keeps when you were in the North. Didn''t you think to come home, to visit your mother at least once. She had been without herself worrying about you."


    Torrhen couldn''t give any excuses to that.


    "And you," Ned said, "I sent my child with you Owen, with the hope that you would look after him for us. Instead you conspired to run with him."


    "I am sorry my lord." Owen said. "The young lord was gonna leave me behind one day if I kept stopping him so instead I followed him along so that I could keep an eye on him at least."


    "I am disappointed in you, Owen." Ned said. "After all your years of service to Winterfell, you betray me when I entrusted you with the important task of looking after my son."


    "Its not his fault father." Torrhen said. "If you want to blame someone, blame your own son."


    Ned Stark settled his cold gaze upon Torrhen.


    "I am not done with you." Ned said. "You won''t ever leave this castle without my permission and if anyone helps you get away from home this time I will behead them myself with Ice."


    Someone knocked on the door. Ned bid him to come in.


    Maester Luwin entered the solar with a parchment in his hand. "I had a raven from Castle Black, my lord. It seems one of the black brothers has become a deserter. We received word from a patrol that they caught someone with his description."


    Torrhen winked at Maester Luwin as Ned read the parchment. Maester turned his gaze away from him.


    "Looks like he is still unhappy with what I did at the Citadel." Thought Torrhen.


    "Have the horses ready," Ned said. "For Bran too."


    "Bran''s still a boy to witness a man getting killed." Torrhen said with his teeth clenched.


    "He is old enough to face it. Winter is Coming whether we wish for it or not." Ned said.


    Torrhen stormed out of the room in anger.


    Torrhen found his siblings in the feast hall along with his pack. They were telling stories of their travels (of course leaving out the part with the Bastard) to his siblings when he entered the hall.


    Arya and Bran were upon their feet and slammed into Torrhen hugging him. Rickon hung back with wariness while Sansa gave him a smile. But Robb and Jon frowned when they saw him from where they sat beside Theon who was trying to flirt unsuccessfully with Alys and asking about the covered box''s contents which she guarded like a hen guards its chicks.


    "Where''s mother?" Torrhen asked.


    "She has gone to the Sept to pray to the Seven for returning you safely back home." Sansa said.


    "Well Sansa," Torrhen said. "Looks like you have become more pretty since I last saw you. And Arya and Bran the last time I saw you both were when you were babes I am surprised you even remember me."


    "Of course I do silly," Arya said. "I remember you. Its Bran that was the babe not me. And we heard stories from Robb, Jon, Sansa and Mother about you."


    "Is it true? did you fight a Knight in a tourney like Cleyton says." Bran said. "I want to become a knight too, will you teach me to fight with the sword and lance."


    "I will if you can handle holding a wooden sword." Torrhen said.


    Bran started telling his progress on learning the sword with Ser Rodrick.


    Robb, Jon and Theon stood up and left the hall.


    "What''s up with them." Torrhen asked.


    Sansa still blushing from his comment said. "Don''t know. Only yesterday they were telling tales about you. Now they are frowning every time they hear your name."


    Torrhen went to the Godswood after talking a bit more with his siblings. He knelt and prayed to the Old Gods. He thanked them for keeping his family safe and healthy. And warned the Old Gods that If they were to ever hurt his family and take them away from him he wouldn''t spare them even if they were beings of thousands of years old.


    What''s in that covered box that Alys guards, when the Starks find their wolves will there be one for Torrhen and the secrets that Torrhen will learn, that lurks beyond the walls, from the deserter. Read the next chapter to find out.


    Thank you for spending your time.

 Chapter 2 The Direwolf, Winter

    "The Others," the black brother mumbled. "They are real¡­.they killed Royce¡­.I wasn''t there to watch it¡­ I ran but I know the others took him¡­."


    "What is your name?" Torrhen asked from his horse.


    "Gared¡­ my lord.." Gared said. "The gods save us¡­ They are real¡­. The others they are real."


    "Did you see it with your own eyes.?" Torrhen said.


    "No¡­" Gared said. "But the air turned so cold¡­ when we were searching for the wildling tribe¡­. Will said he saw bodies dead¡­ but they were not there when we went to the place¡­.. I am not lying¡­ You must believe me."


    "I believe you Gared." Torrhen lied.


    Questions were asked back and forth by others. And then his father, Eddard Stark gave a command.


    Two guardsman held the ragged man down and put his head onto the hard black wood. Eddard Stark dismounted and his ward Theon Greyjoy bought forth the valyrian sword Ice.


    "Tell my family that I died for the Night''s Watch, please." Gared said.


    "In the name of Robert of the House Baratheon, the First of his Name, King of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, by the word of Eddard of the House Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, I do sentence you to die." He lifted the greatsword high above his head.


    "Keep the pony well in hand," Torrhen heard Jon say to Bran. "And don''t look away. Father will know if you do."


    Torrhen said nothing as Ice cleaved the head off Gared''s body with a single sure stroke. Blood sprayed across the snow, as red as summerwine. The head bounced and rolled near Greyjoy''s feet. He laughed, put his boot on the head, and kicked it away.


    Torrhen reigned in his anger. The dead didn''t deserve to be treated like that.


    "He believed that the others were real Father." Torrhen said, when his father got on his horse.


    "A man believes the delusions he sees in the cold to be real things." Ned said. "He was just afraid to fight the wildlings is all."


    It was colder on the long ride back to Winterfell, though the wind had died by then and the sun was higher in the sky. Torrhen rode with his brothers, well ahead of the main party, as his brothers talked of courage, bravery and how the deserter took his death.


    But all Torrhen could think about was what Gared said. He could feel in his bones that what he said was what he believed to be real. If the Others were real then¡­.


    He was thrown back out of his thoughts when Robb spoke, "The Others take his eyes," Robb looked at Torrhen a moment before he looked at Jon and said, "Race you to the bridge."


    "Done," Jon said, kicking his horse forward. Robb cursed and followed hooting and laughing.


    Torrhen knew when a challenge was issued to his face. They were being cold to him but he could see that they were trying to reconnect with their brother.


    "Wait for Father, Bran." Torrhen said as he set his horse to a gallop.


    He leaned forward as the horse went flying down the road. As they flew like the wind, the horse and Torrhen were of one mind and one body.


    Before a minute had passed, he overtook them both. Torrhen laughed and hooted back at them as they pushed their horses hard to take back the lead from him.


    Torrhen stopped his horse to a halt when he saw the massive beast on the riverbank north of the bridge.


    "My god, what''s that?" Robb said as he dismounted the horse.


    Jon went back to tell the rest of the party what they found.


    Torrhen followed him down the Riverbank, his knees sinking into the deep snow.


    It was a massive beast. Pups suckled on their dead mother''s teats . Robb picked one up from the litter and held it to his chest.


    By then the rest of the party had joined then and freaked out when they saw her, only relaxing when Robb pointed out that she was dead. They talked about what they had seen.


    It was a Direwolf. Torrhen had never seen one in his life before. He searched the ground to see if there were tracks of other creatures like the dead one. Wolves travel in packs, even Direwolves, they are a distant cousin. But he could not find anymore tracks on the ground.


    Bran came close to Robb. Robb told to him. "Go on you can touch him."


    Jon gave him a second pup in his arms after Bran gave a nervous stroke to the one in his hand. "There are five of them," Jon said.


    "Six." Torrhen said as he noticed a white pup far off in the distance hidden behind brushes. He picked the Albino pup into his hands.


    "Direwolves lose in the realm, after so many years," muttered Hullen, the master of horse. "I like it not."


    "It is a sign," Jory Cassel said.


    Father frowned as they discovered the wound caused by the Stag''s antler in its throat. The group tensed in fear as if the sign foretold the future itself, Torrhen couldn''t believe them. They argued about how the pups were born when the mother was dead and the bad luck they would bring.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.Torrhen stayed silent to the whole conversation until Theon took out his sword, "The sooner the better. Give the beast here, Bran."


    "No!" Bran cried "It''s mine."


    "Sheath the sword before it finds itself in your thick skull." Torrhen said with his Father''s cold voice.


    Robb asked to keep the pups. Harwin and Hullen, his son disagreed with him and back and forth they argued and told their opinions on it to father.


    But Torrhen could not follow their words. His mind was a bit foggy as he eyed the pups, they hadn''t yet opened their eyes. He could not describe what he was feeling right now. He felt like he was floating in the sky and yet his fleet were planted on the ground. He felt as if his mind weren''t in his body. One thing he understood was the primal need he felt at protecting them from anything that might harm them.


    "Lord Stark," Jon''s voice cut through the fog. "There are six pups. Four male and two female."


    Torrhen tried to think what was going on in Jon''s mind right now. Would he have given one up if he were in Jon''s shoes.


    Torrhen looked at Robb, Once he had hated his twin brother with his every breath because he was the eldest twin by mere seconds and he would be father''s heir and Torrhen would have to kneel to his brother. Oh how much he hated that. The hate had gone from him now. Mostly.


    But his hate for kneeling to someone had never gone away. In fact he had made an oath to the old gods in the Godswood on his father''s honor that he would never kneel to someone in submission in a fit of rage years ago, before he left home for his adventure to travel the world.


    "What of it, Jon?" Father said.


    "You have six true born children." Jon said. "Four sons, two daughters. The direwolf is the sigil of your House. Your children were meant to have these pups, my lord."


    "You want no pup for yourself Jon?"


    "The direwolf graces the banners of House Stark. I am no Stark, Father."


    Robb and Bran promised to Nurse the pups.


    Father looked at his direction, to get the promise that Torrhen would take care of his pup.


    Torrhen looked at Jon once, and handed him the albino pup in his hand. "I don''t want one. Take good care of him, Jon."


    Jon''s eyes were wide open as he took the pup from his hands.


    Torrhen Stark got back on the road without a word more. His head started to hurt as he climbed the bank to the road.


    Whitefoot barked and ran down the road.


    Torrhen clutched his head as he felt a spasm of pain, like someone was tearing his head apart into two pieces with an Axe. The others were alarmed when he almost fell to the ground after losing his footing. He could not hear the words they spoke to him.


    Something called him to follow in the direction of Whitefoot. His vision was turning black at the edges. He pushed off at the hands that tried to steady him and half walked and half stumbled to Whitefoot. He could hear her barks pounding in his head.


    Torrhen lost his balance and fell to the ground. He crawled desperately to Whitefoot. He felt like he was dying, the pain kept on increasing, he could not breathe the air into his lungs. The hound barked at a small black figure with its back to a tree.


    Torrhen snatched it into his hands and clutched the struggling black figure tightly to his chest as he rested his back to the tree.


    And the pain vanished in an instant, his eyes started to clear and he saw his father, brothers and the others huddling over him. Terror was carved into their faces.


    Torrhen couldn''t understand what was happening right now.


    But when Torrhen looked at the black figure fighting desperately to escape from his grip, he laughed and cackled maniacally making them scared even more. Bran was a breath away from sobbing. But Torrhen couldn''t stop himself even as he no doubt looked like a mad man to them.


    And that was how Torrhen Stark first met his Direwolf, Winter.


    Next Chapter:


    A feast in honor of the King from the South who had come all the way to the North to make Torrhen''s father his Hand and his sister Sansa, daughter by marriage to Prince Joffrey. Will Eddard Stark agree to either? Will Torrhen Stark be able dissuade his father from going to the corrupt Kingslanding and decline the proposal? And will Torrhen kneel to Robert alongside the others when everyone will greet the King in the yard.


    But when he catches an uninvited King from beyond the wall in the feast among the Bards and a mysterious letter delivered to his parents by Maester Luwin, late at night all his plans change.


    Like, Comment, add it to your library, and use your stones to support me to read more chapters of the Tale of Torrhen Stark - The Black Wolf.

 Chapter 3 and 4: The Kings Welcome Feast

    The crypts of Winterfell. The place where the Stark kings of old and lords rested. They were entombed in stone with rusted swords on their lap, some had the Direwolf statue beside them. For some reason the oldest Stark was buried the deepest, he wondered what they would do when the crypts were filled fully.


    The crypts had a pull on Torrhen, he felt safe and comfortable among the dead as he lay on the floor with his back to the wall and an old Stark statue beside him.


    His mother was back to her old self, restrictions put on everything and making everything in life a chore. She had forbidden the Direwolves to be present when the King would arrive, wanting them to be locked up in the Kennels along with the other hounds. His siblings obeyed their mother and chained them in the Kennels.


    They knew nothing of Direwolves. You don''t chain an animal such as a Direwolf, they are the hunters of the wild, apex predators in the food cycle. They were meant to roam in huge forests hunting for prey in packs consisted of familiar direwolves.


    So Torrhen didn''t put Winter in the kennel instead he escaped from his parent''s attention and went back to free them when he was in the clear. He took them to the crypts, they could stretch their legs as much as they wanted here.


    The crypts were a huge place filled with statues from the bottom to the top. The Direwolves stirred in their sleep. They slept on the floor beside him and on top of his legs. Torrhen didn''t want them waking up. They could be hard to control when they were in a pack. But Torrhen was somehow improving his ability to command them.


    They all woke up when the voice became louder. Winter was on his feet in a moment.


    "Stay," Torrhen said.


    They all stood still, trying hard to obey him. But Winter, ever the curious soul, turned his head at Torrhen and ignored his command as he charged down the crypts, the rest following him.


    Torrhen cursed and followed the Direwolves.


    He found Winter on the heels of his father, trying to seek his attention. The other man with Father was no doubt the King. He had become much fatter than the last time he saw the King.


    So Torrhen let the King know, "You have become fatter, Robert."


    "Torrhen," Father said.


    Robert was laughing with his face red.


    "That I have boy," Robert said. "I was looking for you in the yard."


    "I wanted to spare you your dignity when I wouldn''t kneel before you in front of all the others."


    "Torrhen kneel before his grace. Now." Father said.


    "For god''s sake, I do not want to hear you say grace again Ned. It''s fine the boy and I have an understanding from when he met me at Kingslanding. He has an oath to keep and it concerns your honor. I was laughing when I heard it the first time as he refused to kneel before me. You should have seen Jon Arryn when he heard what your son had to say about that."


    "Kingslanding? Did you go to Kingslanding? What of this oath?" Father said


    Robert laughed as Torrhen said


    "I made an oath, Father, to the old gods in the Godswood on your honor that I would never kneel before any person in submission before I ran away."


    "Why did you make such an oath, Torrhen," Father sighed. "You must one day kneel before your Rightful Liege Lord if you mean to give him no cause to anger."


    Torrhen looked at his father as he said the truth that he hadn''t told anyone, "Because I hated Robb with every breath. I didn''t want to bend the knee to my brother. It was not fair you see. I was born just a few seconds later than him and for that, he would inherit your title and Winterfell."


    "Torrhen, You should have told me what you felt towards Robb," Father said. "Is that why you ran away?"


    "Oh, it''s fine father. That was a long time ago, I have grown a lot since I was a child. I don''t care about that anymore. My eyes have been opened to the real world. I have come to fear ever getting that responsibility because I can''t do what a lord must do. Instead, I want to travel the world and have women to love instead of getting married just for my House."


    "The kid has the right to it, Ned," Robert said. "Half the days I wonder why I won this damn throne."


    "Set that matter aside, Father," Torrhen said. "What is this I heard about an offer of Hand and marriage proposal."


    "I told your Father to be my Hand and a match between your sister and my son, Joffery."


    "You asked the wrong person about the marriage."


    "Then whom should I ask then." The King said amused.


    Torrhen smiled and said, "Me of course. It won''t be of much use asking for my Father''s permission, If I don''t sign off on it. Especially my own sister''s marriage. I must consider whether your son is worthy of my sister''s hand."


    "He is the crown prince," Robert said, challenging him. "The one who will inherit the seven kingdoms after me."


    "That doesn''t mean that I trust him yet. Trust develops slowly over time and after I get a measure of him then you can announce the betrothal. Until then it will be better if you don''t announce it because it would look awkward if the marriage won''t take place."


    "Well then I will go now and let you both to pay your respects, if that is all." Torrhen said as he walked out, the Direwolves following on his heels.


    ***


    The feast was in full swing when he entered the hall. The crowd was laughing when Jon lurched sideways into the serving girl knocking the flagon of spiced wine to the ground. Torrhen tried to steady him but Jon wrenched free of his grip and ran out of the hall. Ghost followed him out after he stopped to greet his brothers and sisters who had entered with Torrhen.


    Torrhen picked up the flagon and gave it to the serving girl, "Have some meat bought for the Direwolves, they are hungry and I would like to feed them before they have the thought to have us for dinner."


    The wolves were not big enough yet to kill a man by themselves. But it would mean a great deal in how they behaved in the future if they behaved properly now.


    Torrhen ignored the stare, that could scare a Direwolf down, from his mother from the high table. He didn''t like how quickly things changed the way they were. His parents back to always complaining about his duties and how he should behave.


    Torrhen nodded his head to the high table then moved to take Jon''s seat among the pack. He didn''t want to go sober that night, he had a thirst to quench and a headache to quell. The headaches were becoming more common now, only subsiding when he was with the Direwolves or resting.


    "Uncle Ben, a word please," Torrhen asked his uncle who served in the nightswatch.


    They exchanged pleasantries and asked about the situation at the wall.


    "Uncle what is this I am hearing about the king beyond the wall. Mance Rayder, I thought he was with the Night''s watch."


    "He was before he turned cloak to the wildlings. He is gathering the tribes to launch an attack on the wall. That is why I am here on behalf of the night''s watch to ask the King for assistance on that matter."


    The Direwolves devoured the huge pieces of meat, the serving girl bought.


    "What was that with Jon?"


    "He wants to join the Night''s watch."


    Torrhen laughed, "Why would he want that? No offense to you uncle I would sooner have my brother beside me than serve beside criminals."


    "The Night''s Watch is not what it was, I agree," Benjen said. "But it might be a place where even a bastard could rise to a prominent position."


    "Don''t worry about him, uncle," Torrhen said. "He is having one of his moods, I won''t let him go, Black before he enjoys all the fruits that life can offer."


    "Well, I have to go and ask the King on behalf of the Night''s watch." Benjen went to the high table.


    Torrhen cheered along with the rest of the table as the Bard sang a new song. For some reason, the men at the table were looking oddly at him, no doubt Owen had started telling of Torrhen''s adventures.


    Torrhen eyed the Bard closely as he finished his song. For some reason, the Bard looked familiar to him.


    "I asked you guys to look after Jon," Torrhen said.


    "The boy had too much wine," Jax said. "I didn''t want to dampen his happiness. It''s not every day that a child gets to drink as much as he wants."


    The rest of the Pack was talking with each other and the guests.


    Owen telling a story about Torrhen to the others on the table, even some from another table were listening in. So that was the reason for the strange looks.


    Torrhen pulled Jax close to him. "I want you to keep an eye on that Bard."


    "Why is there something amiss?" Jax said


    "Yes," Torrhen said. "I feel like there is something familiar about him but I can''t figure out what it is."


    The wolves were gnawing on the bones by the time the feast was over.


    The next chapter: Torrhen kidnaps the Bard at night after he finds the Bard lurking about the castle and has him imprisoned in the crypts. Can he figure out who the Bard is and what he wants?


    Maester Luwin was seen going to his parents chamber at the middle of the night so Torrhen decides to have the talk with the Maester after all this time and try to figure out what his parents are trying to hide.


    <hr>


    Chapter 4 [Sorry guys i forgot to upload fourth chapter so edited it into third chapter]


    ¡°Is it okay to use the crypts for this purpose,¡± Alys said. The crypts scared her. She was uncomfortable being around the dead, Torrhen knew, especially when the moon was high in the dark sky.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°The dead don¡¯t mind it.¡±


    ¡°How can you know that?¡± Alys asked her eyes narrowing at him.


    ¡°Because they told me,¡± Torrhen said.


    ¡°Ha ha ha. Not funny,¡± Alys said laughing mockingly.


    ¡°They told me,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°There that one.¡± Torrhen pointed at the Statue of a Brandon Stark, though he didn¡¯t know which Brandon he was.


    Alys turned and watched the statue with skepticism. She went closer to the statue looking into his eyes, whispering something under her breath.


    Torrhen approached behind her silently and shouted.


    Alys yelped and beat him on his chest.


    ¡°Don¡¯t scare me like that,¡± Alys said breathing fastly.


    ¡°Oh come on,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°You deserved that. Why would the dead talk to us they are dead after all. Come on let¡¯s go, our Bard would be awake by now.¡±


    Torrhen and Alys went deeper into the crypts, ignoring the strange pull that Torrhen had whenever he was in the crypts. The light flickered as the wind flowed through the space. Torrhen had Jax follow the Bard around since the feast started hoping that it was nothing, just that his instinct was misplaced, but it turned out that the Bard was lurking around the castle for some reason.


    Jax had Cleyton with him so when they caught him doing something they kidnapped him and bought him under the crypts on Torrhen¡¯s orders.


    They reached a well-lit place by one of the statues. Cleyton, Jax, and the rest of the pack were already present. Rose and Eric were asleep, Torrhen didn¡¯t see a reason to wake them up. They were part of the pack now, but Torrhen wanted them to take it easy for the first couple of months. The pack would train in private in the Wolfswood from dawn till evening every three days a week, learning how to fight among other things. These trainings were what made Torrhen and the others so efficient in fighting.


    Especially Cleyton¡¯s skills were the most helpful. His skills with the sword and the lance were what Torrhen learned from. The man had fought in the Grey Joy Rebellion as one of the many Hedge Knights hired by the Lannisters. The man was a born fighter and a damn good teacher.


    So it was a surprise when he found Cleyton bleeding.


    ¡°What happened Cleyton?¡± Torrhen asked.


    Will, the Iron Islander, was applying the bandage to his arm and chest. He didn¡¯t tend to speak much. He had taken an oath of silence to atone for what he did when he was with the reaping party from the Iron Islands. He had taken the oath when Torrhen freed him from execution, Torrhen asked him to swear on whatever he believed that he would live his life to do good by others.


    ¡°The bastard got the drop on me,¡± Cleyton said. ¡°He saw us coming up on him and surprised us when he ambushed us. He had a dagger with him and was good with it too. He almost killed me as I tried to subdue him.¡±


    ¡°If it were not for Cleyton,¡± Jax said. ¡°I would have been dead. He took the dagger meant for me, Bastard is not just a Bard though he has a good voice for it.¡±


    ¡°Is he awake?¡± Torrhen said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jax said. ¡°He must be recovered from Cleyton¡¯s blow by now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get him.¡± Owen Whitebeard said. The man was for some reason sad, Torrhen had thought that he would be happy to be in Winterfell.


    Torrhen took a seat down on the ground crossing his legs. Winter put his head on Torrhen¡¯s lap. The wolf was too needy, always staying close to him, never leaving him alone even for a moment. Torrhen had to distract the troublemaker to go anywhere without him. And when he figured out that Torrhen was not there, he would use his ability to use his scent to hunt him down. He would then pounce upon him regardless of where Torrhen was.


    Once Torrhen almost fell over the Castle¡¯s battlements when Winter pounced on him. A few more months and Torrhen wouldn¡¯t be able to even lift him. He was growing at an alarming rate. Maester Luwin said that they could grow to the size of ponies. But Torrhen knew that they could grow bigger in the right conditions. Winter seems to be following these conditions more than his siblings. He was a bit bigger than them.


    Though at the start Winter was the weakest and most malnourished among his siblings. Mother said he used to be like that too when he was a child. Mother used to pray to the Seven so that he would get better from his ailments. Torrhen was a sickly child when he was a babe, so much so that Mother didn¡¯t believe that he could survive past the second year.


    The Bard sat down opposite to Torrhen in the middle of the path, the rest of the Pack sat behind the prisoner. Save for Jax, who stood close by to the Bard with his dagger in his hand ready to stab it in his neck if he tried anything.


    ¡°Let¡¯s play a game,¡± Torrhen said, not letting the bard speak. ¡°I used to play this when I was young. It goes like this, one of us will tell something and the other must figure out whether it was a lie or not. We don¡¯t have all night so I will ask you questions. If you wish to lie to me you must do it without letting me figure it out. Three times you will get the chance to lie, more than a third and it will be the last you will ever speak in your life. I will speak about myself. If you figure out what I said was a lie or not three times correctly I will let you leave unharmed. Do you understand the rules?¡±


    The bard nodded. He looked calm, most of the people would be beside themselves with worry.


    ¡°I must warn you,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°Do not take this lightly, I can tell the lies from the truth as easily as a person breaths the air.¡±


    ¡°Start,¡± the Bard said amused to be challenged by a fifteen year old no doubt.


    ¡°My name is Torrhen Stark. I once killed a bear with a dagger when I was eleven,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°A lie or the truth?¡±


    ¡°A lie,¡± the Bard said smiling. ¡°The part with the bear. You almost convinced me with the way you told it.¡±


    ¡°The truth,¡± Torrhen said smiling back.


    Owen grimaced, ¡°I remember that. She gave me the scar on my chest. The bastard came out of nowhere attacking us. Torrhen jumped on his back and started stabbing him from behind when she turned towards me. I fought it off with my sword from the front barely. The event scared me half to death, with how you jumped on it.¡±


    ¡°That seals the deal Torrhen,¡± Jax said. ¡°Now that I have heard enough about you, I officially declare you to be mad. Though I wonder whether you were born mad, or you tend to be one when the situation presents itself.¡±


    The Pack smiled. Torrhen ignored Jax and said, ¡°What is your name, Bard, and why did you come to Winterfell?¡±


    ¡°My name is Samuel of Oldstones,¡± the Bard said with the accent of the south, he hesitated a bit before he started again. ¡°I joined the King¡¯s party as they crossed my path in the south near the Crossroads Inn. I was hoping to make a good coin, singing. But I am not getting paid well, so I thought to steal¡­ that is why¡­ you found me lurking. That is it. I am a Bard and occasionally a thief when the going gets tough.¡±


    ¡°You are good.¡± Torrhen smiled. ¡°You could have fooled even the wisest person. But not me, it takes more than that to fool me.¡±


    ¡°You are bluffing,¡± The Bard said, not letting his confidence go. He was almost convincing to Torrhen. ¡°You don¡¯t know the truth, boy.¡±


    ¡°Your accent betrays you,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°I can hear a slither of that accent when you speak. You lived in the North your whole life. It is hard to erase one¡¯s voice when you have spoken it all your life. I say none of it was the truth.¡±


    ¡°Do you wish to deny it?¡± Torrhen asked. ¡°You will lose the second chance too.¡±


    ¡°Go on,¡± The Bard said. ¡°Your turn.¡±


    ¡°When I was a child,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°I killed people knowing that they were innocent. Once I came close enough to killing a child too. A lie or the truth?¡±


    The Bard took his time answering, he opened his mouth to say a lie when he changed his mind and said, ¡°The truth?¡±


    The Pack smiled at another easy win.


    Torrhen looked down at Winter and rubbed his head. ¡°The truth.¡±


    The Pack lost their smile.


    ¡°This was not the first time you visited Winterfell,¡± Torrhen said. He looked at the Bard. ¡°You came to Winterfell before, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the Bard said speaking carefully. ¡°This was the first time I visited Winterfell.¡±


    ¡°A lie,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°Your second lie. Look behind you, the person standing behind you is Jax. You have only one more chance to lie. After that, if you speak a lie Jax will slit your throat. So you have visited Winterfell in the past.¡±


    The Bard stayed silent, he was sweating now.


    ¡°Once I thought to kill my brother Robb when I was a child,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°Because I didn¡¯t want to kneel to him. A lie or the truth?¡±


    ¡°A lie,¡± the Bard said. ¡°You love your brother.¡±


    ¡°The truth,¡± Torrhen sighed. ¡°I love him but I would rather die than kneel to someone.¡±


    The Bard smiled at that, Torrhen noticed. He figured out who the man was.


    ¡°Once when I was a child,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°I played a game with Robb and Jon, my brothers. The game involved throwing snowballs at the people passing below the gatehouse.¡±


    The Pack was confused by what Torrhen was saying. But the Bard looked to be in discomfort, knowing what Torrhen was gonna ask next.


    ¡°A black brother of the Night¡¯s Watch,¡± said Torrhen, ¡°visited Winterfell with his Lord Commander for an audience with my father. He caught us in our game, I asked him his name before I ran.¡±


    Cleyton rose and unsheathed his sword. The Bard looked around seeing a way to escape. Winter raised his head from Torrhen¡¯s lap, growling at the Bard.


    ¡°The name he said was,¡± Torrhen said, ¡°Mance Rayder.¡±


    The Pack rose abruptly. They had heard the rumors as well of a King beyond the Wall, gathering tribes to unite against the wall.


    ¡°Are you Mance Rayder?¡± Torrhen said. ¡°The King Beyond the Wall.¡±


    The next chapter: Is the Bard, the King beyond the Wall? The man named Mance Rayder? When the Bard tells the truth it will shake everything Torrhen believed in. He would have gone back to his adventures but how could he leave his family when such a threat exists beyond the wall?


    And when he questions Maester Luwin about visiting his parents at midnight, he fears that a conflict in the south is inevitable.


    What will he do? Will he go North to remove the threat beyond the wall or go south to deal with the threat the Lion poses on his family when his Father accepts the offer of Hand?


    Read more to find out.

 Chapter 5: A Dangerous Game With The Bard

    "Is it okay to use the crypts for this purpose," Alys said. The crypts scared her. She was uncomfortable being around the dead, Torrhen knew, especially when the moon was high in the dark sky.


    "It''s fine," Torrhen said. "The dead don''t mind it."


    "How can you know that?" Alys asked her eyes narrowing at him.


    "Because they told me," Torrhen said.


    "Ha ha ha. Not funny," Alys said laughing mockingly.


    "They told me," Torrhen said. "There that one." Torrhen pointed at the Statue of a Brandon Stark, though he didn''t know which Brandon he was.


    Alys turned and watched the statue with skepticism. She went closer to the statue looking into his eyes, whispering something under her breath.


    Torrhen approached behind her silently and shouted.


    Alys yelped and beat him on his chest.


    "Don''t scare me like that," Alys said breathing fastly.


    "Oh come on," Torrhen said. "You deserved that. Why would the dead talk to us they are dead after all. Come on let''s go, our Bard would be awake by now."


    Torrhen and Alys went deeper into the crypts, ignoring the strange pull that Torrhen had whenever he was in the crypts. The light flickered as the wind flowed through the space. Torrhen had Jax follow the Bard around since the feast started hoping that it was nothing, just that his instinct was misplaced, but it turned out that the Bard was lurking around the castle for some reason.


    Jax had Cleyton with him so when they caught him doing something they kidnapped him and bought him under the crypts on Torrhen''s orders.


    They reached a well-lit place by one of the statues. Cleyton, Jax, and the rest of the pack were already present. Rose and Eric were asleep, Torrhen didn''t see a reason to wake them up. They were part of the pack now, but Torrhen wanted them to take it easy for the first couple of months. The pack would train in private in the Wolfswood from dawn till evening every three days a week, learning how to fight among other things. These trainings were what made Torrhen and the others so efficient in fighting.


    Especially Cleyton''s skills were the most helpful. His skills with the sword and the lance were what Torrhen learned from. The man had fought in the Grey Joy Rebellion as one of the many Hedge Knights hired by the Lannisters. The man was a born fighter and a damn good teacher.


    So it was a surprise when he found Cleyton bleeding.


    "What happened Cleyton?" Torrhen asked.


    Will, the Iron Islander, was applying the bandage to his arm and chest. He didn''t tend to speak much. He had taken an oath of silence to atone for what he did when he was with the reaping party from the Iron Islands. He had taken the oath when Torrhen freed him from execution, Torrhen asked him to swear on whatever he believed that he would live his life to do good by others.


    "The bastard got the drop on me," Cleyton said. "He saw us coming up on him and surprised us when he ambushed us. He had a dagger with him and was good with it too. He almost killed me as I tried to subdue him."


    "If it were not for Cleyton," Jax said. "I would have been dead. He took the dagger meant for me, Bastard is not just a Bard though he has a good voice for it."


    "Is he awake?" Torrhen said.


    "Yes," Jax said. "He must be recovered from Cleyton''s blow by now."


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "I''ll go get him." Owen Whitebeard said. The man was for some reason sad, Torrhen had thought that he would be happy to be in Winterfell.


    Torrhen took a seat down on the ground crossing his legs. Winter put his head on Torrhen''s lap. The wolf was too needy, always staying close to him, never leaving him alone even for a moment. Torrhen had to distract the troublemaker to go anywhere without him. And when he figured out that Torrhen was not there, he would use his ability to use his scent to hunt him down. He would then pounce upon him regardless of where Torrhen was.


    Once Torrhen almost fell over the Castle''s battlements when Winter pounced on him. A few more months and Torrhen wouldn''t be able to even lift him. He was growing at an alarming rate. Maester Luwin said that they could grow to the size of ponies. But Torrhen knew that they could grow bigger in the right conditions. Winter seems to be following these conditions more than his siblings. He was a bit bigger than them.


    Though at the start Winter was the weakest and most malnourished among his siblings. Mother said he used to be like that too when he was a child. Mother used to pray to the Seven so that he would get better from his ailments. Torrhen was a sickly child when he was a babe, so much so that Mother didn''t believe that he could survive past the second year.


    The Bard sat down opposite to Torrhen in the middle of the path, the rest of the Pack sat behind the prisoner. Save for Jax, who stood close by to the Bard with his dagger in his hand ready to stab it in his neck if he tried anything.


    "Let''s play a game," Torrhen said, not letting the bard speak. "I used to play this when I was young. It goes like this, one of us will tell something and the other must figure out whether it was a lie or not. We don''t have all night so I will ask you questions. If you wish to lie to me you must do it without letting me figure it out. Three times you will get the chance to lie, more than a third and it will be the last you will ever speak in your life. I will speak about myself. If you figure out what I said was a lie or not three times correctly I will let you leave unharmed. Do you understand the rules?"


    The bard nodded. He looked calm, most of the people would be beside themselves with worry.


    "I must warn you," Torrhen said. "Do not take this lightly, I can tell the lies from the truth as easily as a person breaths the air."


    "Start," the Bard said amused to be challenged by a fifteen year old no doubt.


    "My name is Torrhen Stark. I once killed a bear with a dagger when I was eleven," Torrhen said. "A lie or the truth?"


    "A lie," the Bard said smiling. "The part with the bear. You almost convinced me with the way you told it."


    "The truth," Torrhen said smiling back.


    Owen grimaced, "I remember that. She gave me the scar on my chest. The bastard came out of nowhere attacking us. Torrhen jumped on his back and started stabbing him from behind when she turned towards me. I fought it off with my sword from the front barely. The event scared me half to death, with how you jumped on it."


    "That seals the deal Torrhen," Jax said. "Now that I have heard enough about you, I officially declare you to be mad. Though I wonder whether you were born mad, or you tend to be one when the situation presents itself."


    The Pack smiled. Torrhen ignored Jax and said, "What is your name, Bard, and why did you come to Winterfell?"


    "My name is Samuel of Oldstones," the Bard said with the accent of the south, he hesitated a bit before he started again. "I joined the King''s party as they crossed my path in the south near the Crossroads Inn. I was hoping to make a good coin, singing. But I am not getting paid well, so I thought to steal¡­ that is why¡­ you found me lurking. That is it. I am a Bard and occasionally a thief when the going gets tough."


    "You are good." Torrhen smiled. "You could have fooled even the wisest person. But not me, it takes more than that to fool me."


    "You are bluffing," The Bard said, not letting his confidence go. He was almost convincing to Torrhen. "You don''t know the truth, boy."


    "Your accent betrays you," Torrhen said. "I can hear a slither of that accent when you speak. You lived in the North your whole life. It is hard to erase one''s voice when you have spoken it all your life. I say none of it was the truth."


    "Do you wish to deny it?" Torrhen asked. "You will lose the second chance too."


    "Go on," The Bard said. "Your turn."


    "When I was a child," Torrhen said. "I killed people knowing that they were innocent. Once I came close enough to killing a child too. A lie or the truth?"


    The Bard took his time answering, he opened his mouth to say a lie when he changed his mind and said, "The truth?"


    The Pack smiled at another easy win.


    Torrhen looked down at Winter and rubbed his head. "The truth."


    The Pack lost their smile.


    "This was not the first time you visited Winterfell," Torrhen said. He looked at the Bard. "You came to Winterfell before, didn''t you?"


    "No," the Bard said speaking carefully. "This was the first time I visited Winterfell."


    "A lie," Torrhen said. "Your second lie. Look behind you, the person standing behind you is Jax. You have only one more chance to lie. After that, if you speak a lie Jax will slit your throat. So you have visited Winterfell in the past."


    The Bard stayed silent, he was sweating now.


    "Once I thought to kill my brother Robb when I was a child," Torrhen said. "Because I didn''t want to kneel to him. A lie or the truth?"


    "A lie," the Bard said. "You love your brother."


    "The truth," Torrhen sighed. "I love him but I would rather die than kneel to someone."


    The Bard smiled at that, Torrhen noticed. He figured out who the man was.


    "Once when I was a child," Torrhen said. "I played a game with Robb and Jon, my brothers. The game involved throwing snowballs at the people passing below the gatehouse."


    The Pack was confused by what Torrhen was saying. But the Bard looked to be in discomfort, knowing what Torrhen was gonna ask next.


    "A black brother of the Night''s Watch," said Torrhen, "visited Winterfell with his Lord Commander for an audience with my father. He caught us in our game, I asked him his name before I ran."


    Cleyton rose and unsheathed his sword. The Bard looked around seeing a way to escape. Winter raised his head from Torrhen''s lap, growling at the Bard.


    "The name he said was," Torrhen said, "Mance Rayder."


    The Pack rose abruptly. They had heard the rumors as well of a King beyond the Wall, gathering tribes to unite against the wall.


    "Are you Mance Rayder?" Torrhen said. "The King Beyond the Wall."


    The next chapter: Is the Bard, the King beyond the Wall? The man named Mance Rayder? When the Bard tells the truth it will shake everything Torrhen believed in. He would have gone back to his adventures but how could he leave his family when such a threat exists beyond the wall?


    And when he questions Maester Luwin about visiting his parents at midnight, he fears that a conflict in the south is inevitable What will he do? Will he go North to remove the threat beyond the wall or go south to deal with the threat the Lion poses on his family when his Father accepts the offer of Hand?


    Read more to find out.

 Chapter 6: A chat with Maester Luwin

    The Bard stayed silent as Torrhen asked the question that could get the Bard killed.


    Torrhen got up on his feet carrying Winter, who was lazy and refused to get up.


    "You have until tomorrow to convince me to spare your life," Torrhen said. "If you can''t then I would have to give you up to Father and the King, he would be happy to see you, no doubt."


    "Keep an eye on him," Torrhen said to his pack.


    As he was leaving the Bard spoke again, "You can tell if someone is lying right?"


    "Yes," Torrhen said turning back to the Bard.


    "The Others," Bard said. "They are real and they are attacking villages and taking the men as their thralls to kill the next village they fall upon. I am trying to unite the Free Folk to help them survive against the others. Tell me whether I am lying or not."


    The pack looked to Torrhen, expressions of fear upon some of them.


    "Of course," Bennard the septon said. "Its a lie. He just wants to attack the Wall and bring the Wildlings to the North to rape and pillage."


    Jax looked to the Bard then sighed.


    "I don''t think its a lie," Jax said.


    "Torrhen tell us," Bennard said. Doubt and fear seeping in his voice over the possible existence of an enemy that was only a scary story that the others used to scare off children.


    "Even if it is true," Torrhen said to the Bard. "That is not reason enough to save your life. You have enough time to think on how to convince me. I suggest you to think very carefully as it can either save you or get you killed."


    Jax followed Torrhen as he left.


    "There are people north of the Wall Torrhen," Jax said. "More people than the people South of the Wall believe. There are children and women too with the Free Folk its not only the men that raid that live beyond the wall."


    "I know," Torrhen said.


    "We have to do something to help them," Jax said, desperate. "The Lords won''t let them pass the Wall. They will be slaughtered by the Others if they are real. I have a mother and sister that still live there, I can''t let them die as we do nothing."


    Torrhen turned towards Jax and held his shoulder.


    "Listen to me Jax," Torrhen said. "You know me right?"


    Jax nodded.


    "Do you think that I would stay still doing nothing as men, women and children get killed?" Torrhen said. "Even if they are of the Free Folk, their blood flows red as does mine. I won''t let your family or the Free Folk die without a fight. I will kill anyone that try to stop me from saving them, whether they be of the Free Folk or the Lords of Westeros. This I promise you on my Father''s Honor."


    "Thank you Torrhen," Jax said.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "It has been a long day," Torrhen said. "We will discuss how to get the Free Folk safe across the Wall tomorrow. Go get some sleep."


    ****


    Torrhen was walking to his chambers when he saw the Maester Luwin leaving his tower and hurrying to his parents chambers.


    Torrhen wondered what made Luwin so jumpy so he decided to go to the Rookery tower and wait for Maester Luwin there. Torrhen put the Direwolf on the floor of the Tower.


    Winter whined as he was lowered and complained about the cold ground with a bark, but went back to sleep quickly after.


    Maester Luwin entered the Rookery as Torrhen was feeding the Ravens meat.


    The Maester ignored Torrhen as if he was not present.


    "How long are you going to keep ignoring me Luwin," Torrhen said. "I am sorry for what I did at the Citadel when I was there. I didn''t mean to do those things. It just happened."


    "It was upon my reputation as a Maester that I endorsed you to the Citadel Torrhen," Maester Luwin said. "And what you did there, didn''t only sour House Stark''s relations with the Maesters. No, my reputation and standing among the Maesters, which I have gained by spending years to do, is gone. Just because you couldn''t control yourself."


    "I apologize for that," Torrhen said. "But the Maesters at the Citadel, they were trying to stop me from getting more Knowledge. Every time I asked them to read more advanced books, they would not let me do it. They were forcing me to say my oaths to become a Maester to the Citadel. I didn''t like them guarding the Knowledge that was supposed to help us. So I did what I had to do."


    Luwin sighed and said, "I thought you would change and become better when you were at the Citadel gaining knowledge to sate that unending curiosity of yours but I must have known that it was impossible to change your nature. You will always be wild like an animal, that won''t ever change I think, though I pray to the Seven everyday for you."


    Torrhen smiled. "I know how much you love me and my family Luwin. But I must ask what you were doing late at night in my parent''s chambers."


    "It was nothing," Maester Luwin said. "A raven from one of your Father''s Lords."


    "Oh," Torrhen said. "It must have been very important to insist upon meeting my parents at this time, when they don''t like to be disturbed. I would like to know what you discussed with them."


    "It was nothing," Maester Luwin said. "It was about a trade that your Father wanted to know about as soon as possible."


    Torrhen caught the lie he was saying.


    "Why are you lying to me Luwin," Torrhen said. "I would really like to know what you discussed with my parents. Currently I am not in the mood to play games with you. I trust you Luwin as an individual but it is hard to trust a Maester of the Citadel."


    "Winter," Torrhen said.


    With one word the Direwolf was on its feet and baring his fangs at Maester Luwin.


    "You know how I can easily tell whether you are lying or not, right Luwin." Torrhen said.


    Luwin nodded.


    "Then," Torrhen said. "Tell me everything that you discussed with my parents. Don''t leave a single word out."


    Luwin told everything about his father''s reluctance to go south and accept the offers from the King, the letter from his aunt warning about the Lannister''s and how they killed Jon Arryn, the Old Hand. And finally Father''s decision to let Jon go to the Night''s Watch.


    "Father allowed it?" Torrhen said. "I don''t believe it."


    "Your Father cares about your brother, Torrhen," Maester Luwin said. "But he knows that he can''t leave Jon with your mother at Winterfell or take him south to Court where he will be mocked because of his last name. Your Father made the decision that he thought best."


    "I won''t let Jon swear his life away to the Night''s Watch," Torrhen said. "I promise you that. He''s just a child like us, how can father do that to him?"


    "It was Jon that suggested it in the first place," Luwin said.


    "He is Stupid as a child of fifteen ought to be," Torrhen said. "You should not have let Father send Jon to the Wall."


    "It is done," Luwin said. "You need to convince Jon to not join the Night''s Watch. Its what Jon wants to do."


    "About that letter," Torrhen said. "Are you sure that it was from my Aunt Lysa."


    "Who else would send it?" Maester Luwin said. "Lady Catelyn knew that it was from her sister from the writing on the parchment."


    "Then House Stark has more to prepare for than I thought," Torrhen said. "If what the letter said was true. War would break out in the Seven Kingdoms. We will discuss about this again Maester."


    Torrhen left the Rookery with more on his mind than before. With the chance of a war breaking out between the Lannisters and the Crown and the Starks.

 Chapter 7: The Training Yard

    Torrhen and Winter arrived at the training yard as Bran stood over Prince Tommen with a wooden sword ready to whack him as the Prince rolled on the ground trying to get up with all that padding he wore. The men laughed. The Pack the loudest among them. It seems that the yard was the entertainment for the day to them. Besides Torrhen had asked Ser Cleyton Whyte to look at how well Bran fought. Torrhen hated fighting in front of people, it would show his fighting style to a man with a sharp eye. So whenever he took part in a tourney on his travels he would go in as a mystery knight.


    "Enough!" Ser Rodrick called out. He gave the Prince a hand. "Well fought. Lew, Donnis, help them out of their armor." He looked around. "Prince Joffrey, Robb, will you go another round?"


    "Gladly," said Robb.


    Joffrey stepped forward looking bored, "This is a game for children, Ser Rodrick."


    Torrhen laughed when Theon said derisively with a burst of laughter, "You are children."


    Even though Torrhen and Robb were twins of the same age. It was hard to see similarity between them. Robb took more after his mother''s side with a stocky build, blue eyes, and thick red-brown hair while Torrhen had the Stark''s grey eyes, brown hair with a better built body from his travels. Making him appear taller and stronger than Robb.


    "Robb may be a child," Joffrey said. "I am a prince. And I grow tired of swatting at Starks with a play sword."


    "You got more swats than you gave, Joff," Robb said. "Are you afraid?"


    Prince Joffrey looked at him. "Oh, terrified," he said. "You''re so much older." Some of the Lannister men laughed.


    Torrhen put his hand on Robb to calm him down.


    Ser Rodrik tugged thoughtfully at his white whiskers. "What are you suggesting?" he asked the prince.


    "Live steel."


    "Done," Robb shot back. "You''ll be sorry!"


    Torrhen pulled Robb close to his ear and whispered, "Robb, Listen to me. He is a Prince. When he gets hurt with the blade of a sword as I know you are far better than the little shit. He will go running to his mother, Cersei and she I hear is very protective of her son. It won''t do House Stark any good if you fight him with live steel."


    "He called me a child," Robb said. "Would you be quiet too if he called a child to your face?"


    "No," Torrhen said. "I would probably send him crying to his mother."


    Robb laughed at that image.


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    "But," Torrhen said. "I am not the one inheriting Father''s titles and I won''t be his Vassal Lord when he becomes King after Robert dies. Robb you are the Heir to father and you must always think about the future and House Stark before your own feelings."


    Robb nodded.


    The master-at-arms said, "Live steel is too dangerous. I will permit you tourney swords, with blunted edges."


    Joffrey said nothing, but a man strange to Arya, a tall knight with black hair and burn scars on his face, pushed forward in front of the prince. "This is your prince. Who are you to tell him he may not have an edge on his sword, ser?"


    "He is the Master-at-arms of Winterfell," Torrhen said before Ser Rodrick could respond. "Lord Stark chose him to train the men in the Yard. And even your Prince, Clegane has to obey Ser Rodrick if he wants to make use of the yard in Winterfell."


    "Are you training women here?" the burned man said as he looked at Torrhen.


    "I am training knights," Ser Rodrik said pointedly. "They will have steel when they are ready. When they are of an age."


    The burned man looked at Robb. "How old are you, boy?"


    "Fourteen," Robb said.


    "I killed a man at twelve. You can be sure it was not with a blunt sword."


    Torrhen could see Robb bristle. His pride was wounded. He turned away from Torrhen to Ser Rodrik. "Let me do it. I can beat him."


    "And I killed a man when I was far younger than you Clegane," Torrhen said. "Besides, when the Prince goes crying to his mother with a small scratch won''t you get blamed for that. After all you are the one put in charge to babysit the Prince I hear."


    The men laughed around the yard. Torrhen heard his Sister Arya''s and Jon''s loud laugh coming from the walkway connecting the two buildings.


    Clegane took a step towards Torrhen half unsheathing the sword but stopped when the Pack put their hands on theirs and Winter bared his teeth at Clegane giving him a bark filled with warning of what he could do to him if he took another step towards Torrhen.


    Torrhen stood there without moving an inch from before. "Clegane, I would not recommend drawing your sword at me. I have heard of Your House''s notoriety, especially your brother. You were given Guest Rights by Lord Stark. If you were to break it by drawing your sword in my Father''s own home I would have to put you down like a dog would be put down for being rabid. I wouldn''t mind putting you down, that is if you still want to draw your sword at me."


    "That is enough Torrhen," Ser Rodrick said. "Keep your sword sheathed Clegane."


    Joffrey called back his dog and said something and left the training yard with the Lannister men.


    "You have got a mouth on you," Clegane said. "Either you are very brave or very stupid to insult me to my face."


    "My companions would say I am neither," Torrhen said turning to his Pack.


    The Pack laughed as Owen Whitebeard said, "The lad''s just mad."


    Torrhen turned to the Burned man with a smile.


    Sandor Clegane left with a grunt.


    But Torrhen''s smile left his face as quick as the wind. Sandor''s brother Gregor Clegane, most simply call him as the Mountain, was a thorn to Torrhen. That animal was a sadistic murderer and rapist with an evil reputation.


    The stories Torrhen heard from his men, who give him information, about how the Mountain kills and rapes with savagery to the small folk he meets not to mention how he got away with smashing the infant Prince Aegon Targaryen against the wall and raping and killing the mother, Princess Elia Martell, a women of high birth of one of the Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms.


    Torrhen wanted to give him the gift but the monster rarely ever left his lands except for wars or tourneys. So Torrhen bid his time well upon the advice of his Pack but Torrhen knew that every day the Dog was not put down, the dog would go on killing and raping the small folk without any fear.


    Torrhen decided that the next time he would cross paths with the Mountain, he would not let him leave alive even if it meant his death.

 Chapter 8: Negotiations with Mance Rayder, King Beyond the Wall

    ¡°The White Walkers,¡± Mance Rayder, the King Beyond the Wall said. ¡°They are killing the free folk. They attack village after village, swarming with their dead thralls. They kill every man, woman, and child, then they raise their dead bodies as thralls to attack the next village and on it goes.


    ¡°I tried to unite the tribes to fend off the White Walkers but I know that it is only a matter of time before they kill every free folk north of the Wall.¡±


    Torrhen sat in the same spot on the ground of the Crypts of Winterfell as the day before with Winter sleeping on his lap and the Pack sitting behind Mance Rayder, King Beyond the Wall. He drank sweet wine that the southern party had bought with them from his pouch.


    ¡°I told you to convince me to spare your life, Mance,¡± Torrhen said, passing the wine to Mance. ¡°Don''t tell me what is happening beyond the wall. I have to go on a Hunt with Robert and Father. So make it quick.¡±


    ¡°I am getting to that,¡± Mance took a gulp of the wine before speaking. ¡°What will happen when the White Walkers kill every soul north of the Wall? They will take the wall next and descend upon the Seven Kingdoms.¡±


    ¡°The Night¡¯s Watch are there to fend them off,¡± Torrhen said.


    Mance laughed. ¡°The Night¡¯s Watch are mostly made up of criminals. Do you think they will stand and fight as the Others, an enemy that were told as nightmares from when they were kids, advance upon them? No. They will turn their tails and run.¡±


    ¡°Lord Stark will see to them,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°And he will raise every man in the North to defend the Wall.¡±


    ¡°But once the White Walkers kill every Free Folk,¡± Mance said, ¡°they will have an army numbering far greater than what Stark could field. Besides, the Free Folk won¡¯t sit quiet as they get massacred. They will try to take the Wall to get their families and themselves as far from the Others as possible.¡±


    ¡°It is my understanding that,¡± Torrhen said, ¡°You are the one leading and uniting the Free Folk together, is it not? If I were to kill you today the Free Folk will disband into their own tribes. How will they take the Wall then?¡±


    ¡°Before I came south of the Wall. We were preparing ourselves to move to the Frost Fangs.¡± Mance said as he smiled.


    ¡°Why is that?¡± Torrhen said.


    ¡°To search for the Horn of Joramun,¡± Mance said. ¡°It¡¯s buried deep in the mountains of the Frost Fangs beside Giants. The Free Folk will take down the Wall like Joramun did withh a single blow of its horn. Then none of us will be able to stop the Others then as they go South killing every living thing.¡±


    ¡°The Free Folk, will they do it?¡± Torrhen said. ¡°Will they blow the Horn and condemn every life South of the Wall to the same fates as their own.¡±


    ¡°The Free Folk have no love for the Southern kneelers and the Crows,¡± Mance said. ¡°They won¡¯t stop, if the Horn meant that they and their kin could get to safety. They won¡¯t hesitate blowing the horn and they are willing to even storm the Wall by themselves without it¡±


    Torrhen closed his eyes and thought about the danger the Wall falling would cause to the Realm. There was a reason that a wall as big as the Wall existed and it must have been to keep the Others out. If the only defense against the Others were to fall, then the North won¡¯t be able to defend itself not with a possible conflict between the Lannisters and the Starks.


    Torrhen calculated in his mind every possibility that could happen if the North faced enemies on both sides in the North as well as the South. The results were depressing.


    Torrhen needed a way to utilize the power behind the Free Folk for his own and House Stark¡¯s gain. He can¡¯t under any circumstances let a second front open while there was a conflict with the Lannisters. Lord Tywin Lannister was too smart a man to pass up on a chance that could sow chaos and even the demise of House Stark as a whole. Leaving the North to fend off against three enemies.


    Torrhen opened his eyes and stood up, letting Winter¡¯s sleeping head slowly to the ground.


    ¡°I will let you go,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°And get the Free Folk to safety south of the Wall without the need to get more men killed scaling the Wall if¡­¡±


    ¡°If?¡± Mance said, standing up.


    ¡°If you give up your Kingship, kneel to me and acknowledge me as your King,¡± Torrhen said.


    ¡°The Kings beyond the Wall are not the same as the Southern Kings, lad,¡± Mance said, laughing. ¡°They won¡¯t kneel to you just because I knelt to you. It doesn¡¯t work that way. The Free Folk follow the strongest. I had a hard time gathering them together and making them acknowledge me as their King. They definitely won¡¯t kneel to a Stark and a kid of fifteen.¡±


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    ¡°I will take care of them,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°You, however, were not born among the Free Folk. You were one of the Black Brothers. I will have a hard time convincing Lord Stark to let you off the chopping block, it''s best if you were sworn to me. It will make it easier for me to defend you.¡±


    ¡°Stark will listen to you?¡± Mance said. ¡°Will he let the Free Folk cross the Wall?¡±


    ¡°Hell no,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°He will take your head off for desertion from the Night¡¯s Watch and he is sworn to King Robert Baratheon. And Robert will want your head as a trophy and he won¡¯t care much about the lives of the Wildlings. He has much to worry about across the sea in Essos, with the Dragons in exile there. Father can be a bit stiff when it comes to things like this but I will convince him in time. Do you have a family beyond the Wall.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Mance said. ¡°Dalla, my wife.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°I give you my Oath in my Father¡¯s honor that I will do everything in my power to save the Free Folk and your loved ones from the Others and the Lords, South of the Wall, if they agree to swear fealty to me, Torrhen Stark, as their King.¡±


    ¡°This is the part where you kneel,¡± Jax said.


    Mance knelt and swore his fealty to Torrhen Stark.


    ¡°I won¡¯t ask you to Kneel before me again,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°I am a gracious King.¡±


    The Pack laughed and cut Mance¡¯s bounds.


    ¡°How will you get the Free Folk across the Wall?¡± Mance asked. ¡°Lord Stark won¡¯t agree to it unless he wants his vassal lords to rise in rebellion against him. The Umbers and KarStarks would be most livid.¡±


    ¡°You let me worry about that,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°You have work to do.¡±


    ¡°I do?¡± Mance said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°I want you to gather every living soul north of the Wall under your Banner. Kill anyone who refuses to join you. What do you do, to not let the dead rise again as the Others?¡±


    ¡°We burn them,¡± Mance said. ¡°And the Free Folk won¡¯t be too happy to kill those who refuse to join me under any circumstances. They like to be free, they will only do as I say up to a limit. The moment they think of me as a tyrant or weak they will kill me. Especially if they learn that their King has knelt to a Stark.¡±


    ¡°You can do as you wish with regards to convincing the rest of the Free Folk to join you,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°But know that every person left to the Others is one more we would have to fight in the future. And we will keep your kneeling a secret until I come to you Beyond the Wall.¡±


    ¡°You are not coming with me?¡± Mance said.


    ¡°No,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°There looks like a conflict will emerge between the Starks and the Lannisters. Father has accepted the offer to be Robert¡¯s Hand, I can¡¯t let him go to the cesspit that is KingsLanding. He will get himself killed with his honor there.¡±


    ¡°And Winter is Coming,¡± Torrhen said, grimly. His expression turned dark at the future that they were to face.


    Winter raised his head from his sleep at the ground and looked at Torrhen at his name being called. Torrhen petted the Black Direwolf to sleep and said, ¡°I did not call you. Back to sleep.¡±


    ¡°This is a long summer,¡± Torrhen looked at Mance, ¡°and there will be an equally long winter to go with it. There won¡¯t be enough food to last the North itself for the coming winter if a war breaks out in the south let alone 100,000 of the Free Folk.


    ¡°I will have to figure out ways to get food North and store them for the coming Wars,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°I don¡¯t think the Others or White Walkers will be satisfied staying on that side of the wall, not when they woke up from their centuries of slumber and started attacking Villages for no reason.¡±


    ¡°Aye,¡± Mance said. ¡°It will be a long winter.¡±


    ¡°I have a favor to ask of you, Mance,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°It is with great trust that I give you this task. Will you do it for me?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Mance said.


    ¡°My brother Jon,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°He wants to join the Night¡¯s Watch and I have no intention of letting him do so. Can you smuggle him out before he says his vows.¡±


    ¡°Does he follow the Old Gods?¡± Mance said.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I can get him when he comes North of the Wall,¡± Mance said. ¡°He will want to say his vows to the Old Gods at the weirwood grove in the Haunted Forest. I can have men posted near there. If you could send them a signal the moment they leave the Wall, they can take him from the Crows before he can do it. He will be having his Direwolf with him no doubt, will he be willing to come with them without harming them?¡±


    ¡°Ghost will kill your men before they can lay a hand on Jon,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°I will have one of my men, Will, join alongside Jon as a recruit to the Night¡¯s Watch.¡±


    Will stepped forward and knelt. He took his Ax, kissed the iron and presented it to Torrhen.


    Torrhen took the Axe and swiped the blade against his palm.


    Torrhen swiped the bright red blood, flowing from his palm, across Will¡¯s forehead and the head of the Axe.


    ¡°Will, I charge you with the protection of my brother Jon Snow,¡± Torrhen said, as he held the Axe to Will with both his hands. ¡°You will be there for him always as I would be there for him. You will guard him as you would guard me. If you accept to take this burden upon yourself and give a blood oath that you would take care of Jon as if he were your own blood then take this Ax and I will forever be in your debt.¡±


    Will stood up taking his Ax, gave a kiss to the iron of the Axe and gave a strong hug to Torrhen and left the crypts with tears in his eyes.


    Alys shredded part of her dress to bandage Torrhen¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Will will take Jon hostage and threaten him at sword point,¡± Torrhen said, as Alys bound up his hand. ¡°Will does not speak so, Your men will have to convince Jon that I sent the men to stop him from resisting furthermore. Choose your best men for the Job, Mance and keep them safe while I finish up business in the South and come North to you. It won¡¯t be good if my brother or Will were to get hurt in the process. I don¡¯t take harm against my Pack lightly.¡±


    Mance nodded.


    ¡°If that is all I have a hunt to attend to,¡± Torrhen said, giving a nod to Mance.


    ¡°Winter come lets go,¡± Torrhen said to his Direwolf who rose with excitement at a hunt about to take place. Torrhen had trained the Direwolves to hunt in the wild as a Pack. ¡°We will show Robert and the Southerners how a Pack hunts. You will show them what a Direwolf is capable of. Make me proud Winter and I will give you all the belly rubs and treats you ask for.¡±


    Winter responded with an excited bark.

 Chapter 9 : The Hunt

    The Hunt began at dawn. Ned wouldn¡¯t have allowed his eldest sons to join the hunt if not for Prince Joffrey joining it too. Of course Lord Stark couldn¡¯t have stopped Torrhen even if he wanted to.


    Besides Torrhen wanted to show Robert how the Direwolves hunt. He had to get close to the King if he wanted to use the influence and power the King has, to prepare House Stark for the winter that was coming.


    Bran had wanted to come to the Hunt too, Torrhen knew. But Lord Stark wouldn¡¯t have allowed it, the hunt can be a dangerous place for a boy. The prey they were hunting today was boar, King Robert wanted to have it for the feast tonight. They would be leaving for the South on the morrow.


    Only Cleyton and Owen from the pack had joined the hunt along with Uncle Benjen, Jory, Theon Greyjoy, Ser Rodrik, and even the dwarf Tyrion had ridden out with them.


    The Dwarf bought his horse beside Torrhen¡¯s, ¡°Are your Direwolves trained to hunt?¡± He said as he looked at Winter and Grey Wind, who walked on their four paws ahead of the hunting party, sniffing the air for signs of Game.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°I trained them myself.¡± Torrhen turned to Tyrion. ¡°This is our first time meeting each other isn¡¯t it? I have heard of you. My name is Torrhen Stark.¡±


    ¡°Of course you did,¡± Tyrion said with a grin. ¡°After all everyone knows of the Dwarf who is the sweet Queen¡¯s brother. I was at the welcoming Feast, of course you did not notice me with the raucous wild celebrations you started.¡±


    Before Torrhen could reply, Winter raised his Snout into the air and let out a bark of excitement turning his head towards Torrhen.


    ¡°Go! Hunt!¡± Torrhen said and Winter broke out into a sprint into the forest of the Wolf¡¯s Wood, Grey Wind trailing after him. Torrhen went to the front and turned to the party. ¡°Take your positions and spears quickly, the Direwolves have sensed a prey.¡±


    Torrhen got off his horse, the others followed him as they got ready to hunt.


    ¡°Where is it?¡± King Robert asked as he took a spear from his squire. The fat KingsGuard trailing him.


    Winter¡¯s howl and barks came off in the distance, with the squeals of a wild Boar.


    ¡°There,¡± Torrhen said, pointing in the direction of the noise as he took his Spear from Owen. Robb beside him was excited to be here, Torrhen could see it in his eyes. ¡°The Direwolves will lead the Boar to our location. It will be in a hurry with the Direwolves at it¡¯s heels.¡±


    The hunting party got excited as the noises started getting closer. Joffrey boasted that he could take the Boar if he wanted to, as he stood behind the Hound and Lannister men.


    Lord Stark left the King¡¯s side and came to where Torrhen and Robb stood. ¡°Hunting a Boar is no laughing matter, experienced men with years in their belts have lost their lives hunting a Boar. The king will take the Boar. Both of you will watch. Do you understand me? ¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Torrhen said with a grin as he turned the spear in his hands. His Father knew that he would not listen. He gave a sigh and went to King Robert.


    ¡°There it is!¡± someone shouted. ¡°I can see them.¡±


    ¡°Stay back with Owen, Robb,¡± Torrhen said. He advanced to the front in the direction of the coming Boar. The King and Torrhen stood ahead of the party, no one had the courage to seek the displeasure of the King by taking the first kill away from him. But Torrhen was not like other men, and it was his Direwolves that were bringing them the prey and he could not take his mind off the prey when a hunt was started.


    ¡°Steady!¡± Torrhen could feel the excitement of Winter, the blood pumping like crazy in his heart, his feelings all on the brown Boar that escaped his jaws. Winter wanted nothing more than to sink his sharp teeth into the meaty flesh of the Boar but like always Winter could somehow hear Torrhen¡¯s instruction to not to do it. He would snap at the air in frustration, but he would always listen when in an hunt, outside the Hunt though Winter wouldn¡¯t obey his command with a passion for rebelling against Torrhen.


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    They were still off in the distance but they were advancing fast. Winter and Grey Wind behind the Boar on both the sides, steering it towards the location of the hunting party and towards King Robert.


    ¡°Any one who hurts my babies will die a slow and painful death!¡± Torrhen shouted to the party behind him just in case they thought that they could treat the Direwolves like an animal and hurt them in the excitement.


    King Robert was eager for the kill as he stood a little distance away from Torrhen. He turned his head away from Torrhen towards the Boar, ¡°HA! The first kill is mine, boy. Watch and learn how I take the beast down.¡±


    Torrhen only smiled and let out a piercing whistle.


    Winter burst forward and snapped his jaws at the boar¡¯s face. The boar turned the direction of its run sharply, away from the King and towards Torrhen as Grey Wind stopped it from turning too far away.


    Robert said something but Torrhen didn¡¯t hear it as the Boar advanced towards him, its eyes locked at Torrhen and preparing its head to smash the sharp tusks into Torrhen¡¯s belly. Torrhen readied the spear in his hands.


    When the boar was just ahead of him, Torrhen lunged towards it, piercing the spear towards the Boar¡¯s neck and bracing himself feet firmly planted towards the ground as the Boar took the spear inside its body.


    The Boar stopped struggling after a minute, dark red blood flowing from its neck. The Direwolves circled them in excitement, letting out barks. The hunting party cheered, as Robert came towards Torrhen laughing and patting his back. ¡°You did well Torrhen. Held your ground as it charged at you, you have some balls on you I have to say.¡± The party started to chat and make plans.


    Torrhen removed the spear from the dead body and leaned down on his feet. He looked into the Boar¡¯s dead eyes, Torrhen felt nothing as he watched it. When he was a child, he used to cry when he scratched Whitefoot by mistake, but now he couldn¡¯t even feel a single feeling when he killed a man with his own hands.


    Torrhen was bought out of his thoughts when Winter gave a primal growl as he turned his head one way and another. There was only the primal beast a Direwolf was, in its fear inducing growl. The men, Lannister men, around him backed away and pointed their spears at Winter.


    Torrhen was on his feet in a moment, his spear pointing at the nearest man to Winter. ¡°Point your spears away from Winter before I use it to spike your heads with.¡±


    They reluctantly lowered their weapons. The excitement gone from the air, replaced with fear as everyone started backing away from the Direwolves.


    But now Grey Wind was acting strange too. Winter howled into the sky with his brother following him, and Torrhen felt that there was something wrong.


    ¡°To me Winter,¡± Torrhen said. Winter came to him, restless, his breath fast. ¡°What is it boy? Tell me.¡±


    Winter turned towards the direction of Winterfell and along with Grey Wind started once again howling that dark song.


    Torrhen turned his head towards Winterfell and he heard the howl of a third direwolf. He could hear the anguish in it¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Can you hear that?¡± Torrhen said softly fear laced in his voice, as he rose. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°Hear what Torrhen?¡± His father said as he approached him and pulled Torrhen¡¯s head towards him. ¡°What is it? You can tell me son.¡±


    The others looked strangely at Torrhen, his face was pale with fear as the headaches started once again.


    ¡°That howling,¡± Torrhen said, letting the spear fall to the ground, as the Direwolves gave another howl towards Winterfell. Winter was getting restless by the minute, and Torrhen was too. The Howl getting louder and louder in his mind, banging his skull trying to escape.


    Summer. Bran¡¯s Direwolf.


    The headaches battered his mind in a new wave, a war hammer started pounding into his thick skull. His legs gave way and he would have fell to the ground if not for his father holding him.


    Robb started towards him, others too. All speaking with concern but Torrhen could not hear their voices only the grief-filled-howl of Summer.


    Winter moved a few steps in the direction of Winterfell. He snapped at the air in anger and rage. The Direwolves were getting out of control and Robb went to calm them only for Grey Wind to snap at him. Robb backed away in fear. The men in the hunting party readied their spears once again.


    ¡°No!¡± Torrhen wrenched away from his father and moved towards the Direwolves.


    ¡°Get away from them Torrhen,¡± His father said. ¡°They are turning rabid.¡±


    King Robert had his spear with him once again. They would kill them, Torrhen came to the realization, not Robb but everyone else they would kill the Direwolves.


    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong,¡± Torrhen said as he tried to ignore the pounding headache. He was face to face with the Direwolves, ¡°Go!¡± He shouted and they burst off into the forest towards Winterfell.


    There was a commotion at his back and he turned to see his horse fighting the men holding him and galloping towards him.


    Torrhen got onto his horse scrambling like a mad man.


    ¡°To Winterfell! Now!¡± Torrhen shouted at the hunting party as rabid as the Direwolves were, with spit flying from his mouth. ¡°The hunt is over. It¡¯s Bran.¡±


    And Torrhen was off towards Winterfell darting after the Direwolves in a mad rush as he held onto the reins tightly to make sure that he didn¡¯t fall off.

 Chapter 10: Leaving Winterfell

    Torrhen stood by the Window of the Tower room where they had kept Bran. Below Summer kept on howling, Winter sat beside Bran on the ground his features sad, he had not barked in joy in ages not while his brother was howling in anguish.


    He turned to his mother, Catelyn Stark, and Bran who slept on his bed. Bran had not woken since his fall, a fortnight ago. His mother was there beside his bed. She had been there, day and night, for close on a fortnight. Not for a moment had she left Bran¡¯s side. She had her meals brought to her there, and chamber pots as well, and a small hard bed to sleep on, though she had scarcely slept at all. She fed him herself, the honey and water and herb mixture that sustained life. Not once did she leave the room.


    And Torrhen couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He was about to tell her to sleep and take rest when Jon appeared in the doorway, with Ghost beside him.


    Jon hadn¡¯t visited Bran once, though not because he didn¡¯t love Bran rather that his mother was always beside Bran. Torrhen knew that the relationship between the both of them was cold, he had observed things like that when he was far younger, he could see the way she treated his brother Jon much colder than she did him and his siblings. And Torrhen hated it, Jon was a child himself, if any anger must be shown it must be towards their father, Ned whose fault it was not the child. Torrhen had tried to make him feel included in the family, but after he had left Winterfell, he had become more melancholic.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± His mother said.


    ¡°I came to see Bran,¡± Jon said. ¡°To say good-bye.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve said it now go away,¡± she said.


    Torrhen put his hand on his mother¡¯s shoulder and gave a light squeeze. ¡°Its okay Jon. Say your goodbye to Bran.¡±


    Torrhen looked at Bran, his mother was holding one of his hands. It looked like a claw. The flesh had all gone from him. His skin stretched tight over bones like sticks. Under the blanket, his legs bent in ways broken. His eyes were sunken deep into black pits; open, but they saw nothing. The fall had shrunken him somehow. He looked half a leaf, as if the first strong wind would carry him off to his grave but Torrhen knew that he would be fine.


    His mother looked at Bran with that faraway look. She had shed her tears too long that she had no more of it to shed. Ghost came to Winter and they greeted each other like Direwolves did.


    ¡°Bran,¡± Jon said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t come before. I was afraid.¡± Torrhen saw the tears rolling down his cheeks. ¡°Don¡¯t die, Bran. Please. We¡¯re all waiting for you to wake up. Me and Robb and the girls, everyone ¡­¡±


    Torrhen gave a wan smile as he said, ¡°its going to be fine Jon. Bran will wake up any day now. The Maester says he should have woken already if he would wake from his sleep but I know that he will. He¡¯s going to be fine when he wakes up. This won¡¯t be your last goodbye.¡±


    Jon nodded. Mother was watching. Outside the window, the direwolf howled again. The wolf that Bran had named Summer after he had heard Torrhen name Winter.


    ¡°I have to go now,¡± Jon said. ¡°Uncle Benjen is waiting. I¡¯m to go north to the Wall. We have to leave today, before the snows come.¡± Jon brushed away his tears, leaned over, and kissed his brother lightly on the lips.


    Torrhen remembered how excited Bran had been at the prospect of the journey. He wanted to become a Knight but now with his legs broken he would never be able to realize his dreams.


    ¡°I wanted him to stay here with me,¡± his mother said. ¡°I prayed for it,¡± she said dully. ¡°He was my special boy. I went to the sept and prayed seven times to the seven faces of god that Ned would change his mind and leave him here with me. Sometimes prayers are answered.¡±


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Torrhen said nothing. He hated the Gods more than anything, he knew that anyone who had such power has they had would never be kind like the stories the priests tell. Power can only be gained using cruel means. He would have burned the Sept and the Godswood if they had hurt Bran, but Bran was a climber. Though a good climber he was, mistakes and accidents does happen and he must have slipped on a loose rock.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault,¡± Jon said after the silence.


    She turned her head towards him. ¡°I need none of your absolution, bastard.¡±


    ¡°Mother.¡± Torrhen sighed.


    Jon lowered his eyes. She was cradling one of Bran¡¯s hands. He took the other, squeezed it.¡°Good-bye,¡± Jon said.


    Jon was at the door when she called out to him. ¡°Jon,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yes?¡± he said.


    ¡°It should have been you,¡± she told Jon. Then she turned back to Bran and began to weep, her whole body shaking with the sobs.


    Torrhen gave him an apologetic nod, ¡°Wait for me at the stable, I want to have a word with you.¡±


    Jon gave a nod, looked at Bran once again and left.


    ¡°Mother,¡± Torrhen said as he turned her towards him. He wiped her tears from her face and held her face with his hands softly. ¡°Look at me please.¡±


    She turned her teary eyes towards him.


    ¡°Bran is going to be fine okay,¡± Torrhen said, looking at his mother it was very hard to hold back his own tears. But his mother needed strength and support more than his tears right now. ¡°I promise you. He will be fine I know it. But I can¡¯t bear to see you suffer any longer, you need to sleep too. I want you to leave his side and sleep in your own chambers.¡±


    ¡°I am taking care of Bran,¡± his mother said. ¡° I can¡¯t leave him, even for a moment, not when any moment could be his last.  What if Bran needs me and I¡¯m not here?¡±


    ¡°Then the guards will call for you when he wakes up,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°I will have one of my men look after him all the time you are not here.¡±


    ¡°I want to be there to look after Bran,¡± his mother said defiantly. ¡°He needs his mother not a Stranger.¡±


    Torrhen sighed and kissed her forehead. He pulled her to her feet. ¡°I will be gone with Father and the girls.¡±


    ¡°Please do not leave me Torrhen,¡± his mother plead. ¡°I don¡¯t want you guys to go South, not after what happened to Bran.¡±


    ¡°I know about the secret letter your sister had sent about the Lannisters,¡± Torrhen whispered.


    ¡°Then you must know why I want you all to not leave,¡± she said.


    ¡°Father won¡¯t let the Lannisters go if they killed the old Hand,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°I need to be there to protect him from the others in Kingslanding. He won¡¯t survive there with his honor. I will keep him and the girls safe I promise you but Robb and Rickon need you too mother. You are their mother and they will need you more than ever. You can¡¯t stay half alive not when we need you the most do you understand me?¡±


    Lady Stark nodded.


    ¡°Let Summer stay beside Bran mother. He will wake up sooner if summer was beside him.¡±


    She nodded again, she had no strength left in her. Torrhen led her to her chambers and put her on the bed. He put the covers over her and kissed her head and said goodbye.


    Torrhen caught up with Jon and Uncle Benjen as he was leaving with the party that was heading North to the Wall. Tyrion was in their party too.


    ¡°Do you really want to join the Night¡¯s watch Jon?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jon said, face resolute. ¡°It is a place where even a Bastard like me can get honor and position.¡±


    Torrhen only nodded. ¡°You know I love you right? Like my own brother.¡±


    Jon nodded, face wavering.


    ¡°Know that whatever happens I did it because I love you.¡± Torrhen said.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± Jon said.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Torrhen said and pulled him into a hug. ¡°Stay safe Brother. And know that I love you. Always.¡±


    ¡°I love you too,¡± Jon said awkwardly. ¡°And thank you for being there for me.¡±


    He broke off the hug and looked at Will. A member of his pack and a close friend. He will take Jon away from the Nights Watch before he can say his vows. Mance Rayder had already left a week ago.


    Torrhen gave a nod to Will and he nodded back, his face telling him that he will do anything to fulfill his blood oath. He will keep Jon safe from the Wildlings North of the Wall and keep him from joining the Night¡¯s Watch.


    Torrhen would never lose his brother to a corrupt order as the Night¡¯s Watch. Jon didn¡¯t know the reality about it but Torrhen had visited the Wall more than five times. Though there were good men at the Wall like Uncle Benjen, Lord Commander Mormont, and Maester Aemon, there were countless more criminals and rapists at the Wall. And he would not lose his brother to that corrupt order, not like Father did his own brother, uncle Benjen.


    Torrhen said his goodbyes to the rest of the party as they left to travel North to the Wall, the edge of civilization.


    The next day Torrhen left with the Kings party South to Kingslanding with Father and the Girls after he said farewell to Robb and Rickon. His Mother only stood at the Window of Bran''s Room.

 Chapter 11: Finding Arya after the Altercation with Prince Joffrey

    It was a good sunny day when the hawk bearing bad news reached Torrhen after he had left Riverrun.


    The host had moved so slow that Torrhen had gotten tired traveling in the party. So Torrhen and the pack had left the royal party one day after crossing Moat Cailin to visit his grandfather Hoster Tully,  Lord Paramount of the Trident, the Lord of Riverrun, the head of House Tully, and father to his mother Catelyn Tully Stark.


    The Riverlands are rich and fertile and populous. The numerous rivers that run across their expanse are used for trading and the transport of goods. In times of peace fisherfolk in skiffs and grain barges pole downstream and merchants on floating ships sail on the rivers. With so much trade on the rivers, villagers will haul their grain and other goods to it to see it sold and carried elsewhere by the merchants.


    They produced food that the North would eventually need for the coming winter. So Torrhen wanted to convince his grandfather to divert the grains and other food stuff to the North via the trade connections that Torrhen had built up in the previous years rather than selling it to the Merchants.


    Though Torrhen managed to convince lord Hoster Tully to send food , he came to know about the deteriorating  health of the Lord of Riverrun. His health would severely affect the situation when the conflict erupts. After warning his grandfather of the letter his aunt Lysa had written and sending letters to his connected traders and ship owners to transfer food to White Harbor, Torrhen bid farewell to Lord Tully and Uncle Edmure, his mother¡¯s brother.


    Winter had surprised and scared the people everywhere they went, after all a Direwolf south of the wall was very rare and was an extinct species. Torrhen was scared how the Direwolves would fare in Kingslanding. After seeing Winter and the people behave calmly after seeing that the each other were not a treat calmed Torrhen¡¯s mind.


    As they were halfway to the Inn at the Crossroads, the point where they would rejoin the Kingsroad, a brown hawk came flying and rested upon Torrhen¡¯s upraised hand.


    ¡°What is it Blue?¡± Torrhen asked the Hawk as he comforted the bird by rubbing its beak. It responded with Joy. He had raised the hawks when he found their nest, in his travels, fallen on the ground with no sign of their mother. Blue was one of the three siblings of Hawk that had survived to Adulthood.


    The Hawks somehow had a way to find Torrhen wherever he went. They were imprinted on him probably as their mother, since he had fed them personally. One of the hawks was left at Winterfell and the other to Will at the Wall, and Blue was left behind with the royal party. Blue was left with Rose to send word of anything that happened in the royal party.


    Torrhen took the scroll that was tied to its leg and opened it.


    Prince Joffrey hurt in sword fight with Arya and her Direwolf Nymeria. Arya ran away. No one knows that I saw what happened. I am scared Torrhen. Lannisters looking for blood and sent men after them. The Note Read.


    ¡°Winter,¡± Torrhen said, trying to keep the rage out of his voice. ¡°Take me to Arya and Nymeria.¡±


    The direwolf sensed Torrhen¡¯s anger and sprang into action and rushing towards the direction of the Crossroads at the Inn. Blue, the Hawk took to the air, squawking and following from the air.


    Torrhen without a word ordered the pack to a gallop and followed Winter without a doubt of where he was taking them. Every once in a while Winter howled into the air and waited to hear for the response before once again bursting after in a direction.


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    Torrhen explained what had happened, to the rest of the pack as they were riding. And they were livid, as they should be. Torrhen wondered how it was even allowed to take place. A sword fight? Between Joffrey and Arya. There would be blood to pay back if Arya was found to be hurt by the conflict.


    They rode all day until the moon had risen and provided light to the dark night.


    It was at night that they found Arya as she was trying and failing to silence the howls of Nymeria. When they came upon her, she panicked and threw a rock at Torrhen in fear. He caught it before it made contact with his face.


    He looked down at the rock and his sister, and smiled. She was safe and that was the most important thing that mattered to Torrhen.


    When he dismounted, Arya smashed into Torrhen¡¯s chest hugging him and crying as she tried to babble.


    ¡°The prince¡­ they will kill Nymeria ¡­ Torrhen¡­ you have to save her¡­ she won¡¯t run away from me.¡± Arya wouldn¡¯t even stop to take a breath in between the words.


    ¡°Shh,¡± Torrhen tried to calm her. He patted her on the back and tried to comfort her. ¡°Calm down Arya. Nothing¡¯s going to happen to anyone. I am here aren¡¯t I? I heard your sobbing all the way from Riverrun.¡± Torrhen joked. ¡°Now that''s it. Yes. Take a deep breath. Now explain to me everything that happened and leave out no detail.¡±


    Arya explained the incident that happened beside the Ruby Ford near the Trident. How she ran away after that in fear of a retaliation taking place against Nymeria for hurting the Prince.


    And all the time Arya told the story, Torrhen with great effort tried to contain that old familiar rage deep inside him after all Rage won¡¯t solve a situation like this. Only Diplomacy and wit can solve the situation without getting his family punished for the actions of a fool like Joffrey.


    ¡°They are going to kill Nymeria won¡¯t they?¡± Arya asked with fear in her voice.


    ¡°No they won¡¯t,¡± Torrhen replied. He palmed her cheeks and said to her. ¡°We Starks are one Pack Arya, you have to always remember that. The Pack always has each others backs, and the Direwolves were one of the pack ever since I came upon them in the woods. They would have to kill me before they even try to hurt the Direwolves. I would sooner die than give up on them, even if the King orders it so.¡±


    The Pack assured her that they will be there for Nymeria and her.


    ¡°But we have to send Nymeria away until things cool down,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°I hear Queen Cersei is a protective mother.¡±


    ¡°I tried to send her away,¡± Arya said. ¡°She won¡¯t leave me.¡±


    Torrhen looked at Nymeria as she played with Winter. ¡°Nymeria.¡± He called to her and she came. He knelt to her and rubbed her neck where she very much liked it. He looked into her eyes. ¡°You have to go, Nymeria. Leave Arya and survive on your own until I come back to get you.¡±


    Torrhen could feel her emotions. Her desire to be there beside Arya.


    Torrhen gave her a kiss on her snout. ¡°You have to do it. Please. One day I will come back for you and you can be with Arya then.¡±


    Nymeria whined in protest. But it had to be done for saving her life from those who thirst after her blood.


    Before long they were on their horses and heading towards the Kingsroad. Jory Cassel, captain of his father¡¯s household guard stumbled upon them. He informed Torrhen about the search that was organized to find Arya and the butcher¡¯s boy.


    As expected the Queen called for the blood of the Direwolf. Jory told that Lannister men were at search to capture the direwolf to present her to the Queen.


    ¡°Gather our men Jory,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°I want every north man that came south with us, with me when I stand before the King. Tell them to bring their swords too.¡±


    Jory nodded and left out in advance with Eric to gather the men.


    When they reached castle Darry, the place where the royal party decided to use as a base for the search for Arya, Torrhen and Arya were directly bought before the King in the Great Hall of the Castle.


    And there his father, Lord Eddard Stark found them before the King and his Royal Family, with one side of the Great Hall full of Stark Men and the other Lannister men, all had bought their weapons in their scabbards and their hands were on the hilt of the swords. The tension could be felt in the air.


    And in the middle of all this was Torrhen who sat cross legged on the ground with his eyes closed and his sword across his lap. Arya, the Direwolves Winter and Sansa¡¯s Lady safe behind him with the Pack surrounding them and giving an intimidating gaze to any person who even showed  the intention to hurt the Pack¡¯s members.

 Chapter 12: The King wants the Direwolves dead

    Torrhen tried his best to keep the rage contained within him as he kept his eyes closed. The first time he had truly experienced true rage was when he was a child. Torrhen had gone with his father North to visit one of his vassal, he didn¡¯t remember how he got separated from the party. All he remembered of the incident was a wildling, he had come across, who snatched him from his horse. His vision had turned red then and his father found him stabbing the dead body furiously with a dagger Torrhen had stolen from one of his father¡¯s guardsmen. They had to wrench him away from the body, as he thrashed and screamed in fury.


    It flared again threatening to break out when Arya and Joffrey argued to determine what had truly happened. He had heard from Rose when he arrived in the castle, what had really taken place.


    ¡°Enough!¡± the king roared, rising from his seat, his voice thick with irritation. Silence fell. ¡°Now, child, you will tell me what happened. Tell it all, and tell it true. It is a great crime to lie to a king. When she is done, you will have your turn. Until then, hold your tongue.¡±


    They both told their stories and Prince Renly had to leave because he couldn¡¯t stop laughing at his nephew.


    ¡°What in all the seven hells am I supposed to make of this? He says one thing, she says another.¡± The King said.


    ¡°They were not the only ones present,¡± Ned said. ¡°Sansa, come here. Tell us what happened.¡±


    Torrhen opened his eyes and looked at Sansa.  She blinked at Arya, then at the young prince. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said tearfully, looking as though she wanted to bolt. ¡°I don¡¯t remember. Everything happened so fast, I didn¡¯t see ¡­¡±


    ¡°You rotten.¡± Arya flew into Sansa knocking her to the ground, Torrhen rose and picked her up as she thrashed. ¡°Liar, Liar, Liar.¡±


    ¡°Arya stop it,¡± his father said. He picked Sansa up and asked her, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°The girl is as wild as that filthy animal of hers,¡± Cersei Lannister said. ¡°Robert, I want her punished.¡±


    ¡°Seven hells,¡± Robert swore. ¡°Cersei, look at her. She¡¯s a child. What would you have me do, whip her through the streets? Damn it, children fight. It¡¯s over. No lasting harm was done.¡±


    The queen was furious. ¡°Joff will carry those scars for the rest of his life.¡±


    Robert Baratheon looked at his eldest son. ¡°So he will. Perhaps they will teach him a lesson. Ned, see that your daughter is disciplined. I will do the same with my son.¡±


    ¡°Gladly, Your Grace,¡± his father said with vast relief.


    Robert started to walk away, but the queen was not done. ¡°And what of the direwolf?¡± she called after him. ¡°What of the beast that savaged your son?¡±


    The king stopped, turned back, frowned. ¡°I¡¯d forgotten about the damned wolf.¡±


    Arya tensed in Torrhen¡¯s arms. Torrhen spoke for the first time in the hall trying to keep his anger out of his voice. ¡°I found no trace of the direwolf.¡±


    Robert did not look unhappy. ¡°No? So be it.¡±


    The queen raised her voice. ¡°A hundred golden dragons to the man who brings me its skin!¡±


    ¡°A costly pelt,¡± Robert grumbled. ¡°I want no part of this, woman. You can damn well buy your furs with Lannister gold.¡±


    The queen regarded him coolly. ¡°I had not thought you so niggardly. The king I¡¯d thought to wed would have laid a wolfskin across my bed before the sun went down.¡±


    Robert¡¯s face darkened with anger. ¡°That would be a fine trick, without a wolf.¡±


    ¡°We have two wolfs here,¡± Cersei Lannister said. Her voice was very quiet, but her green eyes shone with triumph.


    The rage threatened to be let out. Torrhen could see blood at the edge of his vision as the king shrugged irritably. ¡°As you will. Have Ser Ilyn see to it.¡±


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    ¡°Robert, you cannot mean this,¡± Father protested.


    Winter rose too sensing Torrhen¡¯s emotions.


    The king was in no mood for more argument. ¡°Enough, Ned, I will hear no more. A direwolf is a savage beast. Sooner or later it would have turned on your children the same way the other did on my son. Get them a dog, they¡¯ll be happier for it.¡±


    Sansa and Arya said something but Torrhen could not hear their voice, his gaze locked on the King. The ease with which he decided to kill off Winter and Lady, regardless of them being innocent. He knew the King had no mind to rule but he didn¡¯t knew the extent of  it.


    ¡°Please, Robert. For the love you bear me. For the love you bore my sister. Please.¡± His father said.


    The king looked at them for a long moment, then turned his eyes on his wife. ¡°Damn you, Cersei,¡± he said with loathing.


    Father stood, gently disengaging himself from Sansa¡¯s grasp. ¡°Do it yourself then, Robert,¡± he said in a voice cold and sharp as steel. ¡°At least have the courage to do it yourself.¡±


    Robert looked at Ned with flat, dead eyes and turned to leave but stopped when Torrhen spoke.


    ¡°King Aerys Targaryen killed my uncle and grandfather, Torrhen said, ¡°when they sought justice because a Prince thought he could do as he wish and kidnap my aunt Lyanna.¡±


    The King turned to face him.


    ¡°And when he demanded yours and my father¡¯s head, did Jon Arryn give you both up to the mad King?¡± Torrhen said. As he removed his sword from its sheath.


    Ser Barristan of the Kingsguard held his sword too and stepped forward. ¡°Sheathe your sword boy.¡±


    Torrhen ignored him and took a step forward brushing off his father as he tried to hold him back. The men in the hall watched as they held their breathes.


    ¡°What of it?¡± The Queen said with eyes of fury at his act of defiance.


    Torrhen ignored her. He looked into the King¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°I have a witness with me who saw the everything that took place and I thought to spare your son the shame of his actions by letting it go after all he will be the King one day after you but you want the blood of Winter and Lady just to satisfy your wife¡¯s lust for blood. You are the same as the mad King, killing innocents of house Stark. Winter and Lady have done no wrong, I would sooner die protecting them. What made you think that I would stand still as my Direwolves are murdered?¡±


    The King looked at him with eyes of fury. The King had given a command to have the Wolves killed and going back on it would mean that his authority would weaken.


    Torrhen didn¡¯t hide from that furious gaze. He pointed his sword at the King. ¡°The direwolves have the blood of the Starks in them. If any Stark blood is spilled on your command I give you my oath on my Father¡¯s honor that this hall will be splattered with yours when I am done with you.¡±


    Winter, and even Lady who always behaved in a dignified manner just like her name, growled and snarled. The pack dragged the girls behind them as they bared their swords at once ready to die alongside him. Ser Barristan held the grip on his sword tighter. The King¡¯s men and Stark men took up their swords. The Queen shouted and commanded the King¡¯s men to take Torrhen for Treason.


    ¡°Silence!¡± The King shouted. He looked at Torrhen with pure hatred. ¡°There will be no bloodshed today.¡± The Queen started to speak but Robert turned his gaze towards her. ¡°I want no blood to be shed on this day and anyone who does so, regardless of who it is,  I will put them to the sword myself.¡±


    ¡°My Direwolves?¡± Torrhen said.


    ¡°You will keep your damn wolves in control boy,¡± the King barked. ¡°If I hear once again of them hurting any one, they will be put down by myself. Do you understand?¡±


    Torrhen nodded. The King turned and marched out the hall in anger and frustration. The Queen with rage concealed in her face followed him with her family. Ser Barristan looked at Torrhen for a moment before following the Royal Family,


    Torrhen turned towards his Father.


    ¡°It was stupid,¡± his father said. ¡°You could have gotten yourself killed.¡±


    ¡°Would you have let him killed Winter and Lady just because he was King and he commanded you to do?¡± Torrhen said.


    His father didn¡¯t reply but Torrhen knew the answer. That was the way it was with Oaths and bending the knee. You had to sell your soul along with your fealty and Torrhen would sooner die than bend the knee to someone.


    He looked at Sansa, ¡°I am disappointed in you Sansa. Very much. Until the day you learn what it means to be part of a pack, Lady will stay with me.¡± He whistled for the Direwolves to follow. Lady looked at Sansa for a moment before Torrhen said, ¡°Come Lady lets go.¡± He left the hall, the pack following him.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Ser Cleyton said.


    ¡°Away from this retinue,¡± Torrhen said, ¡°before I decide to set the Direwolves on that little shit Joffrey and Queen Cersei. I can¡¯t travel with them any longer. Ready yourselves we will ride to Kingslanding on our horses.¡±


    Sandor Clegane and his riders came pounding through the castle gate, back from their hunt.


    There was something slung over the back of his destrier, a heavy shape wrapped in a bloody cloak. ¡°No sign of your sister, boy,¡± the Hound rasped down, ¡°but the day was not wholly wasted. We got her little pet.¡± He reached back and shoved the burden off, and it fell with a thump in front of Torrhen.


    Torrhen for a moment thought it was Nymeria. But Winter and Lady would not have stayed calm if it was Nymeria that was in the cloak. They would have known. Torrhen bent and removed the cloak, it was the butcher¡¯s boy, Mycah, his body covered in dried blood. He had been cut almost in half from shoulder to waist by some terrible blow struck from above.


    ¡°You rode him down,¡± Father was behind him by then.


    The Hound¡¯s eyes seemed to glitter through the steel of that hideous dog¡¯s-head helm. ¡°He ran.¡± He looked at father¡¯s face and laughed. ¡°But not very fast.¡±


    Torrhen rose and walked back to the castle. He would have a word with the King.

 Chapter 13: Kings Landing

    Torrhen watched with a smile as the Smallfolk of King''s Landing reacted to the Direwolves. The streets were packed with Smallfolk, on the cobblestones, alleys, and the windows and balconies of the buildings, who wanted to watch the two Direwolves of the Starks; Winter and Lady.


    They chattered and pointed and those nearest to the party took a step back in fear when the Direwolves moved past them. He could see the fear in the eyes of both the young and old. A boy started crying when Winter looked at him with curiosity. The crowd became silent as Winter and Lady announced the arrival of the Starks with a loud and long Howl towards the sky as the kids ran away or hid behind their mother¡¯s skirts.


    The City Watch of King''s Landing, the Gold Cloaks had tightened their hands on their spears and watched with reluctance as they let the Direwolves into the city. They had first tried to deny them entry, but one look from Torrhen and a word from Owen that the King had assured Torrhen that the Direwolves would be allowed into the City.


    Winter and Lady were taking it well. Winter was restless and wanted to explore the new place but behaved properly at a warning from Torrhen, as for Lady she behaved like her namesake, almost like Lady. Sansa had trained her well.


    He looked back at the carriage carrying Sansa. She was still sad and angry with him for his words to her and taking Lady away from her but Torrhen didn¡¯t change his mind after the way she behaved in front of the King, when he asked whether her own Sister had attacked Joffrey. She should have sided with her own family and the truth but her reluctance in telling the truth could have gotten both Winter and Lady killed along with Torrhen himself because he would not let them die in his watch. He found them and it was his responsibility to watch over them.


    Torrhen had thought the crowds would make the Direwolves uncomfortable at first but after Torrhen assured the both of them with pats and positive words they seemed to do better. They were hungry by now and Torrhen had a mind to take them hunting game in the Kingswood and afterwards take the Direwolves around King''s Landing to accustom the Direwolves to the Smallfolk and start winning their hearts and minds; those that were favored among the Smallfolk tended to wield more influence and for what he had in mind to change King''s Landing he would need their support and they would act as a shield against the Southern Nobles and Queen Cersei and her antics to get revenge for Joffrey.


    But he had to attend the Small Council meeting first and set the tone of the meeting. After all first impressions matter greatly.


    Torrhen¡¯s attention was caught by the beautiful women that watched the procession from the balcony of a building. He turned his head towards them and gave a wink as he grinned at them. They burst into giggles.


    Owen caught this with his sharp eyes. ¡°Flirting again? How many women do you need Torrhen? Aren¡¯t you satisfied with the two you have in Bravos and White Harbor? Do you need to sleep with more women?¡±


    Torrhen kept his attention on the women who started gossiping with each other with smiles on their faces and eyes still focused on him. ¡°I am a man with deep passion Owen. Though I love both of them with all my heart, I do have deep desires that needs to be fulfilled from time to time.¡±


    ¡°What will they say when they get to know about each other and your other flings?¡± Eric, the new member of the pack, said.


    ¡°They know about it,¡± Torrhen said as he bought his eyes to Eric. He missed their sweet voices and their warmth beside him, their smart words as they argued with him trying to change his mind on certain things that he was adamant about. ¡°I told them so before things became serious and we fell in love with each other. I told them that my heart and passion is too big for one to fill alone, that I would never be able to stay faithful to a single woman and that I will never get married in my life.¡±


    ¡°How did you get them to accept it? How did you get them to love you?¡± Eric asked with eager curiosity. He was young after all and probably wanted to call a woman as his own. His eyes flickered to Alys for the briefest moment but Torrhen caught it.


    And Torrhen smiled. ¡°Do you have any woman in mind, Eric. That you want to profess your love to?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Eric squeaked. Torrhen¡¯s smile went wider and Owen grinned.


    Torrhen let him go from the teasing. Torrhen was younger than Eric but it seems that he was more innocent than Torrhen was. ¡°Both of them didn¡¯t accept it at first. They wanted men devoted to  only themselves alone, men who would be satisfied with only a single woman, men who would eventually marry them since they are from Noble families. I didn¡¯t have those qualities that my sweet hearts wanted in their men but once I came to know them deeply, with their heart and mind bared naked to me I couldn¡¯t leave them without abandoning a part of my heart with them.¡± Torrhen looked to the deep blue sky and remembered fondly of the past and the efforts it took to make them fall in love with him. ¡°I have a way with women you know, if I set my mind to it I could make them give their hearts to me. So I stole their hearts to replace the parts of my heart that seemed to never want to leave them and they eventually succumbed to my love.¡±


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    Owen said it with a fake serious tone as he beckoned Eric¡¯s attention. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him. He is young and does not know the natural order between a man and a woman. I have much more experience with women and I am telling you, a man can¡¯t handle more than a single woman at a time. I know this with experience boy, you would do well to remember this, there is no fury more scarier than a woman¡¯s fury that you are in love with. Handling more than one is a nightmare that you dare not wish upon yourself. Now, Torrhen is not a man, he¡¯s a beast inside a man¡¯s body, that much we know after all the years that we have traveled with him. Do not try to imitate him.¡±


    Torrhen and the rest laughed at that but his mind was not laughing along. Though it was meant to be a joke, Torrhen sometimes did wonder if he was a beast in the body of a man. With the rage that storms inside him, the pounding headaches that plague him from time to time, the desire that calls him to hurt others when his mind gets hazy during the headaches and makes him lose himself; his name, his identity and his memories all gets buried deep in him when he gets real angry all that is left is cold husk of a man who kills without a thought or emotion.


    That was part of why he left Winterfell, along with the knowledge that he would never inherit from his father, the Castle and his titles and the knowledge that Torrhen would have to kneel to his brother and the King if he stayed in the Seven Kingdoms.


    His name was Torrhen Stark, the one Who Never Kneels for Anyone unlike his ancestor with the same name, the King who Knelt to the dragon lords.


    Torrhen made an oath to the Old Gods upon his father¡¯s honor that he would never kneel, and he would keep his oaths that were sacred even if it means his death, after all it was upon the honor of his father, Ned Stark that he made it.


    *****


    The moment they rode through the Red Keep¡¯s bronze doors, the King¡¯s steward called for the Hand, his Father to attend the Small Council meeting convened by Grand Maester Pycelle when he was still ahorse. His father snapped at him but in the end told him that he will see them after he changed into something presentable.


    Every small action was a ploy to one-up the other in this snake pit of a city. And his father had nothing to show other than his honor against them. Honor is good but too much honor in a man who has the second most powerful seat of the Seven Kingdoms is more of a detriment than an advantage.


    It was best to accompany his Father to the small council meeting. He still had to settle the matter of the Royal Scroll that was in his pocket that he fought and gained, after the butcher¡¯s boy Mycah was murdered, from King Robert after telling him that his father would be fighting against everyone alone in the City behalf of him and as compensation for the wrongful murder. So the King signed a scroll with his authority as King and got him a position in the Council meeting to support his Father.


    But before he could follow his father, a familiar screech sounded from the air and a hawk flew down from the air. Torrhen raised his hand just in time as the Hawk came to rest upon it. It was Red, the hawk that he had left in Winterfell with Bennard the Septon. A sense of dread filled him as he caressed the bird. They were meant to be sent to him in emergencies only, and he had no business being here this far South without a reason.


    Torrhen took the scroll from its leg discreetly and handed Red to Cleyton who stood close by the moment the Hawk appeared. They walked in a hurry to one of the chambers in the Hand¡¯s tower and locked the door after the Pack and the Direwolves had gathered together. Cleyton was the one along with Torrhen who maintained his connections and the network that Torrhen had built and he would like to know the words that Red carried from Winterfell.


    Torrhen read the scroll. And every word he read made his breath faster and set his heart pounding harder and harder upon his chest threatening to break out.


    Attempted assassination on Bran by a Catspaw. Lady Stark hurt but threat neutralized. Against advice the Lady has come to King''s Landing to warn your Father. Accompanied her on the sea with Ser Rodrick to keep her safe. The Spider and Littlefinger knew the moment we set foot on land and had us set up in one of Littlefinger¡¯s Brothel. Meet me at our usual Tavern. -Bennard


    Torrhen handed the scroll to Cleyton. ¡°I want my Mother in our Safe House as soon as you can do it, Cleyton. Alys, the scroll says that she was hurt, I want you beside her. I will come after I attend the small council meeting. I want our things in our safe house, we will set up there, I don¡¯t want to stay in the Red Keep a moment longer than I need to.¡±


    They started moving the moment he stopped speaking. Owen led them as they left. Cleyton stayed back, and said, ¡°You know what this means right? It was not an accident. The boy knows something he was not supposed to know the day the hunt took place. What do you think he saw that they had to send a catspaw to silence a child?¡±


    Torrhen said with a grim face. ¡°I do not know. But the moment we know who sent the catspaw, he or she will pay for it with their life. An eye for an eye, I won¡¯t rest until I take what I am owed and right this wrong they did under the Guest Rights that Father had granted them.¡±


    Cleyton gave a nod and put his hand on Torrhen¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Be calm, we will find out as soon as possible. And the moment we do, the Pack will be there for you just like you were there for us. Do not give in to your rage Torrhen, it will work against us.¡±


    Torrhen nodded. ¡°Feed Red and see to the matter. I have to go. The Small Council meeting must have started.¡± He turned towards the Direwolves as they played with each other in one of their many sibling games. ¡°With me Winter, Lady. Come, let us bare our Fangs and Claws at them. They must get accustomed to the Wolves of The Pack, and the way we do things sooner than later I am afraid.¡±


    Torrhen stormed towards the Small Council his rage barely contained within his flesh and threatening to burst out at one more wrong move.

 Chapter 14: The Small Council Meeting

    Torrhen stormed into the Small Council meeting with Winter and Lady by his sides.


    They turned their heads in surprise; His father the Hand, the old Grand Maester Pycelle who looked half asleep, the Master of Laws Prince Renly with his fine dress, the Master of Whisperers Varys ¡®the Spider¡¯, and finally the Master of Coin Littlefinger.


    Torrhen strode to stand beside the King¡¯s chair on the table, opposite to his father and stood still as he eyed the other men who were supposed to be the King¡¯s best advisers for his rule of the Seven Kingdoms.


    ¡°Torrhen?¡± Ned said. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Torrhen sat in the King¡¯s seat and threw the roll on the table as he smiled. ¡°The King¡¯s Command. I am to speak for him in the Council meetings since our King is busy to deal with the business of coin and crops and justice.¡±


    The members of the small council were about to protest but stopped when the Direwolves moved past him and advanced on either side of the table as they sniffed and let out small growls making the members uncomfortable but they watched with an uneasy smile on their faces. Only his Father was not bothered by it.


    The Grand Maester began first with his eyes on Torrhen, ¡°It is not proper for the beasts to come here where the small council convenes. It would be best if you left th-¡± Winter let out an audible snarl and Pycelle turned his head in fear.


    ¡°Oh Grand Maester look at them,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°They are still babies. They are harmless.¡± To prove the point Winter moved closer to Pycelle baring his teeth to him and the old man moved away with fright.


    ¡°Winter,¡± Ned sighed. ¡°Leave him alone.¡±


    Winter looked at the old man for a second before turning his head and going to Ned and getting a pat. Seeing this Lady approached him and got her fair share of pats before they returned to Torrhen and on the way the both of them gave a snarl at Varys and Littlefinger who shifted forward uncomfortably but still maintained their masks of smile.


    ¡°I had matters to attend to,¡± Torrhen said with both hands ruffling the heads of the Direwolves. ¡°What have I missed so far?¡±


    ¡°Not much,¡± Prince Renly Baratheon said. ¡°We just started talking about it. My brother wants a tourney in honor of your Father¡¯s appointment as Hand of the King but your Father is reluctant about going ahead with the tourney.¡±


    Father made a face of frustration. ¡°Do tell about the treasury¡¯s situation. We are six million gold pieces in debt; three million of dragons to Lord Tywin, and the rest from Lord Tyrell, the Iron Bank of Braavos, and several Tyroshi trading cartels.¡±


    ¡°The Faith will provide for us,¡± Littlefinger said as he went over the calculations to determine the costs of the Tourney. ¡°As of late I have turned to them and the High Septon haggles worse than a Dornish Fish mongers.¡±


    Father was aghast. ¡°Aerys Targaryen left a treasury flowing with gold. How could you let this happen?¡±


    And so on they went forth and back. Torrhen was tiring of it. He turned to Renly, ¡°What are the prizes for the victors of the Tourney?¡±


    Prince Renly turned to him and said, ¡°Forty thousand golden dragons to the champion. Twenty thousand to the man who comes second, another twenty to the winner of the melee, and ten thousand to the victor of the archery competition.¡±


    Torrhen had never heard of such prizes given for the victors for the Tourney before. Looks like King Robert really wants to improve his relationship with Father, that and to enjoy in the festivities. Torrhen imagined being a King must be a boring job for a man like Robert.


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    His attention was bought back when his Father said sharply, ¡°Another day.¡± It was too sharp based of the looks the others gave him. This sharpness was better to show that the Starks were no pushovers but his father changed his mind. ¡°Forgive me, my lords,¡± he said in a softer tone. ¡°I am tired. Let us call a halt for today and resume when we are fresher.¡± He did not ask for their consent, but stood abruptly, nodded at them all, and made for the door.


    Torrhen watched him leave the room. He turned to the rest. ¡°Make all the preparations that are necessary, do not worry about the Hand. I will convince him.¡± He rose and addressed Littlefinger as though they had met before today. ¡°Walk with me Lord Baelish, I want to have a chat with you about the Crown¡¯s debt.¡± And before he could reply Torrhen was out of the door in a hurry.


    He did not wait for Littlefinger to catch up beside him. Besides the Direwolves walked beside him on either side so he could only follow behind him. Torrhen led them to an empty hallway where there were no guards. He whistled twice and the Direwolves moved from one place to another to make sure that they were truly alone.


    Lady moved ahead a distance to ensure that no one would think of coming through here.


    Torrhen turned back towards Littlefinger, who stood there with a disarming smile as if nothing was wrong.


    ¡°Why is my Mother in one of your establishments Lord Baelish?¡± Torrhen asked.


    Surprise flickered through Littlefinger¡¯s eyes at the knowledge that was supposed to be a secret and he was about to answer when Torrhen gave a sharp whistle. Winter advanced towards Littlefinger with his teeth bared and snarling at him until his back was to the Wall.


    ¡°Choose your words carefully Littlefinger,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°I might understand your intrigues but Winter does not, he will maul you and tear you apart if he senses any malice towards our family.¡±


    Littlefinger said with a squeaky voice, the smile still plastered on his face, ¡°It was for her safety that I had her stay there. Who could think of Lady Catelyn staying in a brothel in King¡¯s Landing.¡± Winter gave a growl and he raised his hand in defense. ¡°After all we wouldn¡¯t want the Lannisters knowing about her presence here, after what they did to her at Winterfell after you left for King¡¯s Landing.¡±


    Torrhen stepped closer to him and was about to speak to him when Lady gave a small bark, her ears fluttering as it tried to hear more about the noise that was approaching them. Torrhen could hear the shuffle of boots now as they approached closer and closer.


    Torrhen righted Littlefinger¡¯s collar with his hand and patted his chest. ¡°Come to your Brothel. Alone. I will meet with you then. Be sure to be there the moment I arrive there or¡­¡± Winter gave a snarl and snapped. ¡°¡­ I think you understand don¡¯t you?¡±


    Littlefinger nodded. That annoying grin still on his face.


    Torrhen walked towards the direction of the Hand¡¯s Tower. ¡°Come.¡± He said to Direwolves and they walked past him and lead the way.


    Torrhen noticed Jax waiting for him by the entrance to the tower.


    ¡°She is fine,¡± Jax whispered when Torrhen came close to him. ¡°Got wounds on her hands but other than that she is fine. She was bought to our Manor, Ser Rodrick, the master at arms was with her. Lady Stark and Bennard have quite the story to tell. Would you like to listen or meet with your mother now?¡±


    ¡°I will meet her now.¡± Torrhen said with eagerness at reuniting with his mother since the last time he saw her. She was almost a broken woman when he had left her in Winterfell and he wished to speak with her once, more than anything. She was there for him when he was always sickly with fevers when he was a babe and child, and Torrhen had left her when she needed him the most. He was ashamed of that the most, but the world would not wait for him and already there are threats that are threating to hurt his family North and South.


    ¡°Bring Father with you,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°I will leave at once.¡± He was about to leave when he turned back to Jax once again. ¡°And Jax, from now on I want you to carry Ice with you always.¡±


    ¡°The Valyrian steel sword?¡± Jax said. ¡°That¡¯s your father¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°He uses that only for executions, not for combat,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°It would be put to far better use with me.¡± After all Torrhen was a monster with a Great Sword, such that he had won many Tourney Melees under another name. The Black Wolf, they used to call him for his black outfit when he fought and his tendency to show off with a howl after he put down his opponents. No one, other than his Pack knew of the connection between the second eldest son of Ned and Catelyn Stark and the Black Wolf who appeared out of thin air to Tourneys set all over the Seven Kingdoms and disappeared as swiftly after it ended and he had collected his winnings.


    And now if he had a Valyrian steel sword, then he would be the best in combat. Maybe even better than Ser Jamie.


    ¡°I will speak with Father,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°And do send word to Owen, he is to bring Littlefinger, who will be waiting outside the Brothel, to the Manor.¡±


    Jax nodded. Torrhen turned and left towards the Stables in a hurry to meet his mother, Lady Catelyn. All he knew was she was hurt and he could not rest until he could hear his mother¡¯s reassuring voice.

 Chapter 15: Lady Catelyn Stark

    His mother was sitting on a chair by the table in the small garden the Manor had. The garden was maintained by a steward who maintained the Manor for Torrhen; she usually grew plants that were good to look at.


    Before Torrhen could take a step forward in the garden, Winter and Lady dashed towards her when they caught her scent. She was surprised when they came up on her. His mother at first feared having the Direwolves among her sons but Torrhen showed her that they were practicality harmless to their partners. She was hesitant to reciprocate the love Winter had shown her first but after some time she succumbed to the cuteness of the cute little pup that Winter was.


    His mother used to say that Winter was starkly similar to Torrhen when he was a child. Always sickly and needed to be cared for when he was a baby. Winter was not like the others when he was growing up, Ghost Jon¡¯s Direwolf was silent but he was healthy. But for some reason Winter was the weakest of the bunch when he was a pup, he would not


    Although now, Winter¡¯s cuteness had gone away to being a clingy bastard who never wants to leave Torrhen¡¯s side even when he wants some time alone in the Privy. So much that he had to find a way to trick Winter into distracting so that he doesn¡¯t become aware of his absence of presence.


    Catelyn Stark petted the Direwolves laughing, scratching their heads, chests and back as they responded with glee licking at her hands and trying to stand on their hind legs to lick at her face.


    ¡°Mother,¡± Torrhen said with a shaky voice as he approached her where she sat and crowded between the Direwolves as he went on his knees and took her hand. He looked at the wounds on her hands and tried very hard to keep his composure as deep emotions blasted his mind. ¡°I was scared out of my wits when I heard that you had gotten hurt. I¡­ I¡­ am sorry that I was not there for you mother.¡±


    ¡°My sweet boy,¡± his mother said, as tears filled her eyes. ¡°The wounds are nothing, they are just a grazing wound. See I can still use them.¡± She tried hard to fist her hand and release it, trying to keep a straight face. But it was hurting her he could see it, so he stopped her. ¡°I wanted to see you so much. I thought that I would not be able to see you or the girls. Petyr said that it was too dangerous for me to be seen here but he would try to bring your Father to me.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Torrhen said, his protectiveness overpowering his emotions. ¡°You should not have come mother. I had left Bennard with you for that exact reason. I trust any member of the Pack with my life, I have told you, you should have sent him if it was too dangerous to send it by Raven.¡±


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    ¡°I know,¡± She said. ¡°Robb and the others have been telling the exact same thing when I was at Winterfell. But I wanted to look at your faces too much and I couldn¡¯t trust your ¡­ Friend too much to carry a matter of such Import as this. After what has happened to Bran in our own home, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to trust anyone.¡± She cupped his face with her hand. ¡°Oh look at you, it has been a few months and you seem to have aged years. With a beard growing on your face. Come rise and sit beside me.¡± She pulled him up and made him sit beside her.


    ¡°What about Bran, is he well now?¡± Torrhen said as he sat on the chair beside her. The Direwolves sat themselves on the ground.


    ¡°He was still sleeping when I left,¡± she said with a sad voice. ¡°Sometimes I wonder that I should have never left his side, for if he were to wake or die with his last moments calling for me and I would not be there¡­¡±


    ¡°Bran will survive I know it,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°Nothing will happen to him. Tell me what has happened at Winterfell after we had left. I only know bits and pieces.¡±


    ¡°A catspaw was hired to kill your brother Bran,¡± his mother said. ¡°I was there at the time, he tried to set fire to the old library to distract the men but your Friend the septon raised the alarm before it could engulf it whole. While the men were distracted, he came into Bran¡¯s chambers to slit his throat, but I tried to stop him, that is how I got my wounds.¡±


    ¡°What happened to Summer?¡± Torrhen said, as he tried to keep his blood in control. ¡°I had left instructions to let Summer stay beside Bran.¡±


    His mother looked a bit ashamed. ¡°I sent him away, he would howl at night and I couldn¡¯t bear it any longer.¡±


    Torrhen sighed. ¡°Is there anything more that I should know about?¡±


    ¡°The catspaw used a Valyrian steel dagger,¡± She said.


    Torrhen couldn¡¯t believe it. How did a catspaw come to have a Valyrian dagger. ¡°Do you have it with you?¡±


    She showed the dagger to him. ¡°It had belonged to Petyr but he lost it in a tourney bet to the Cripple Tyrion.¡±


    ¡°Why would Tyrion want to hurt Bran?¡±


    ¡°Petyr says that he did it on behalf of his family, the Lannisters.¡±


    Torrhen was skeptical of a man like Tyrion ordering the death of a child. Though he knew him closely only for a short amount of time, he didn¡¯t seem like a person who would do such a thing. What does Petyr gain by claiming that Tyrion was the one who had sent the Catspaw. It reeked of intrigue, but Torrhen had neither the proof or fact that it was anything other than that. Besides Tyrion could have done it to save his brother trying to cover up whatever Bran had seen.


    The door opened and his Father came through the door with Jax by his side. She rose up to greet him. As they were talking Owen, Rodrick and Bennard came with a man by his side, Petyr. They spoke with each other and Torrhen only listened. In the end his father sent Petyr away after speaking with him.


    And when it came to say goodbye to his mother, Torrhen sent Jax to follow along with a distance with his mother, Bennard and Rodrick as they rode North to Winterfell.

 Chapter 16: Preparations for the Tourney

    A tourney meant a chance to win at gold for those who would take part in them. Even to those that don¡¯t take part in the tourney have a chance to earn more than they could normally. So people flocked to the Tourney to have a chance at earning more.


    And along with them came the unsavory people, who seek opportunity to do their crimes; thieves, robbers, rapists, murderers and many more. It would be a bad thing for things such as this to occur in a Tourney named after his Father.


    So Torrhen had taken charge and announced to the Small Council that he would keep the Peace in the King¡¯s Name. Then he took over the Gold Cloaks for the duration of the Tourney. The commander of the City Watch, Janos Slynt was not happy but what could he do when Torrhen had the backing of both the Hand and the King.


    With Cleyton¡¯s help he organized patrols so that they would patrol areas that are causing more trouble. Torrhen paid coin and sweetmeats to the orphans of King¡¯s Landing, kids who didn¡¯t have any adults to care for them, to bring him any information quickly that was important or of any wrongdoing that was taking place and to keep a watch for him.


    First it was a small group of kids but after word spread among the Orphans, they flocked to him in droves to get their piece of pie and coin in exchange for information.


    And with that information, he would send word to the goldcloaks nearest to the incident to respond.


    And when one such incident was reported, Torrhen himself rode to the place where the crime had taken place.


    Goldcloaks were already there when Torrhen reached the place, a tavern. The small folk had gathered around to watch and where kept back by the goldcloaks.


    Cleyton who was beside him said, ¡°Looks like they caught him red handed.¡± They pushed through the crowds.


    The Goldcloaks were dragging a man out of the Tavern. A girl of nine and ten was sobbing, as a woman tried to calm her down outside the tavern with a captain beside her.


    Torrhen dismounted his horse, gave a nod to the captain and walked to the girl.


    ¡°Hold,¡± he said to the Goldcloaks as they were in the process of transporting him to the dungeons under the red keep. ¡°What is your name girl?¡±


    ¡°Holly¡­ mi-lord,¡± the girl said sobbing. She was covered in a thin rough spun brown cloak as she shivered, her clothes under the brown cloak were torn. She had a black eye, and couldn¡¯t open it.


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    Torrhen took off his fine black cloak and covered it around her shoulders. He pointed to the man being dragged out. ¡°Is that the man who raped you?¡±


    She looked at the rapist, he sneered at her, and she quickly averted her eyes down. ¡°¡­Yes..¡± She whispered.


    ¡°You bitch!¡± The rapist said and struggled against the guards before Cleyton gave a punch to his stomach.


    ¡°Cleyton,¡± Torrhen said as he walked back to his horse.


    Cleyton took the rapist from the goldcloaks and made him kneel. Torrhen took Ice, the great sword from the Scabbard tied to the Horse. As he unsheathed the sword, the rapist began to beg and cry and saying that he would take the black.


    The Captain protested saying something. But Torrhen couldn¡¯t hear him with blood pulsing through him. The crowd was restless to watch a man get beheaded.


    Cleyton presented the rapist¡¯s neck to Torrhen. ¡°Any last words?¡±


    ¡°I choose the black I said,¡± the rapist said. ¡°I will serve in the black.¡±


    ¡°A choice must be given for you to choose and I have not given you that choice,¡± Torrhen said. He raised the valyrian great sword high in the air. Said the words. Then he bought it down, separating the head from the body in a single clean stroke. Blood sprayed and the crowd gasped.


    Torrhen wiped the sword with a cloth and sheathed it and mounted the Horse. As he was leaving, the girl said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Torrhen nodded.


    ***


    Torrhen needed armor to fight in the joust. Forty thousand golden dragons is no small amount, it would greatly help Torrhen in earning that amount when he will win the Tourney Joust. With Cleyton and Owen fighting in the Melee, one of them would get that prize of Twenty thousand gold dragons.


    Torrhen had a plan to win over the Small Folk of King¡¯s Landing. And he needed coin to pay for that plan but first he needed to be liked by them. A bit touch of theatrics in the Tourney would go a long way in getting like by them.


    So he was visiting the best armorer in Kings Landing, Tobho Mott. The armorer knew who Torrhen was the moment he stepped in. He had Torrhen sit on a couch and wine was bought to him.


    ¡°What do you need my lord?¡± Tobho said.


    ¡°I need armor for the Joust,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°The helmet shaped in the way of a Wolf¡¯s head. I want a wolf¡¯s head on the Cuirass. Black Armor. I mean to win the Joust so it would be best if you don¡¯t sacrifice the strength for the design.¡±


    ¡°So close to the Tourney,¡± Tobho said. ¡°It would cost you a fortune for it to be made now.¡±


    ¡°I was hoping to get it for free,¡± Torrhen said.


    Tobho laughed.


    ¡°I have the coin to pay for it,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°But if word were to get out that the Joust winner¡¯s beautiful armor was made by Tobho Mott then they would flock to you to get theirs done here. Your business will increase.¡±


    ¡°And if you do not win?¡±


    ¡°I will pay twice the cost after the Tourney.¡±


    The armorer thought for a moment. ¡°Fine. Twice the cost if you lose. I will have to take your measurements. Gendry!¡±


    Torrhen looked at the boy as he took his measurements. His appearance was strikingly similar to the King. He didn¡¯t say anything to him.


    Torrhen left the shop as he thought about Gendry. He would have to ask Cleyton to find more like him. If the rumors were true then he would surely have more than one bastard.

 Chapter 17: Tourneys Day One Jousting

    Torrhen¡¯s wolf armor was ready by the day of the tourney. When he rode out on the first day of the Tourney to present himself to the King and the people, the crowds roared in approval as he made a round on his black destrier with his black armor carrying an oak shield with a black Direwolf painted on a white field; Ice, his family¡¯s valyrian sword strapped to his horse.


    Thankfully the Direwolves were tricked to stay with Alys, so they would not attack at the men he faced against. They always listened to him but at a place crowded with excitement such as this, there was no way of predicting what they would do. Winter and Lady would complain when he got back to them but he was prepared for that too; with rich meat he would drown their complaints and make their mouths drool with the cooked meat.


    Torrhen showed his showmanship as he went round the jousting fields with ice in his hand, brandishing it and swinging the great sword at an imaginary opponent for the crowds to see. And the crowds loved it, after all it was rare for their eyes to gaze upon a sword as rare as Valyrian steel. Only a handful existed since the destruction of the valyrian empire.


    When he came in front of the King, he pointed Ice at the sky and his horse reared on its muscled hind legs in excitement neighing as it did so with Torrhen letting out a battle roar consumed along with his horse¡¯s excitement.


    And the crowd burst with great noise. As the horse came on its four legs, Torrhen sheathed Ice to his horse and gave Robert a nod of his head and took his place among the others.


    So far it was going well, the crowd seemed to love what he did. Now all that remained was keeping them entertained enough as he won the final Joust.


    The first one was easy enough that he threw his first opponent off within two rounds. He went against the chaff so it was easy to defeat them as he could control his horse with the smoothest ease of nudge.


    Torrhen had always, since he was young, found it easier to ride horses with a certain elegance that is found in the most veteran riders. Owen used to tell that Torrhen was like a centaur, horse and man a single creature.


    But Torrhen thought it was only because he could somehow understand the creature¡¯s mood and emotions, he had an uncanny ability to calm them down or make them do things with a simple request. Maybe that was the thing, others seemed to command their horses to do things but Torrhen he would ask them to do it like he would a friend. Sometimes they would not obey at first but he would persuade them and promise them reward and soon they would obey whatever he asked even if it was something that he had not trained them to do before.


    So with a single nudge of his foot, his horse would step in such a way that the opponents lance would glance away from his armor rather than knock him down. But his lance was placed in such a way to account for the change so it would always strike the center of his opponent.


    Soon the chaff were separated from the rest and Torrhen went against those that were well known knights; he defeated Ser Meryn Trant, a knight of the Kings Guard in the third round; Ser Robar Royce, the second son of Yohn Royce from the Vale in his fourth round; then Ser Loras Tyrell, the one competing with Torrhen for the hearts of the crowd.


    A simple win would not fit two jousters such as these so Torrhen made it seem as if Loras was almost his equal. Round after round the crowd was at the edge as they went at each other, with a thrust of the Tyrell¡¯s lance it would seem as though Torrhen would fall over but a frantic grip would hold him from kissing the ground at the last moment.


    Lances would splinter into a thousand pieces as they came in contact with the others armor and shield. Torrhen had broken his four times against Loras¡¯s shield and him three against Torrhen.


    Round after round, after the Lance broke Torrhen would go to Owen who would hand him the spare Lance and Torrhen would turn fast and set his horse into a gallop in the direction of Ser Loras with his Lance held ready.


    And in the Final Seventh round when it seemed like it would be a draw between the two. At three paces away from Ser Loras, Torrhen¡¯s horse with a nudge from him changed the position where he would put his legs.


    His Lance, aimed at Loras¡¯s chest, broke once more into splinters as Torrhen glanced Ser Loras¡¯s Lance off of his armor.


    And the crowd burst into mad applause, screaming and calling him, ¡°The Black Wolf! The Black Wolf! The Black Wolf!¡¯¡¯ as Ser Loras fell off his horse with a great thud to the ground and Torrhen reared his horse to a stop at the edge.


    As he took in the crowds applause he rode to the downed Ser Loras, got off his horse, removed his Wolf helm and gave him a hand to raise him up to his feet. That act of chivalry to a well fought opponent seemed to make the crowds love the Black Wolf even more as Loras raised Torrhen¡¯s hand as a sign of Torrhen¡¯s victory and acknowledgment of his defeat to a worthier opponent.


    Torrhen eyed Sansa and Septa Mordane among the stands for the Nobility. She was standing up and clapping her hands with the rest of the crowd who found his act chivalrous. For a moment he forgot about her past mistake and gave a smile and a nod towards her direction. Jeyne pool, his sister¡¯s friend who was with her blushed.


    The sun was almost setting so the King called the end of the joust for the day and led the court to the feast by the river; Six huge aurochs had been roasting for hours as the kitchen boys basted them with butter and herbs.


    Torrhen was given a place of honor to the left of King Robert, even seating his own son next to his Queen to the right; that seemed to vex the Queen Cersei and she gave hostile looks to Robert every now and then. Sansa and Septa Mordane too were given a seat on the High Table beside Torrhen; after all she was betrothed to Joffery, though Torrhen still had doubts about that betrothal, he couldn¡¯t deny the advantage an alliance with the Royal Blood would help in the fight against the Others.


    The King seemed to be in a good mood as he let the wine flow into his mouth and feasted upon the food as he asked Torrhen to tell tales of his adventures away from Ned and home. As he told Robert the adventures he faced in his travels, the King seemed more interested to give up the crown and go off on adventures of his own in Essos as Torrhen had done but lamented the weight of his crown that stopped him from doing so. Torrhen¡¯s conversations with Robert seemed to improve the relations that was strained since the incident at the Trident.


    Sansa was happy and talked about the other Knights who fought chivalrously on that day with great excitement. She and Septa Mordane congratulated him on fighting well, the Septa said that Torrhen had done well to better represent the North than Jory had done.


    In the middle of a conversation with Robert, Joffrey sat himself between Sansa and Septa Mordane. Torrhen allowed it. It would be better to mend the gap and any differences between them and Joffrey was still a child, he could turn out to be better with a bit of discipline that seems to be absent till now. A private talk with Robert of Joffrey squiring for a respectable knight could solve his discipline problems.


    Sansa and Joffrey talked a bit about the Tourney. And when he filled iced summer wine in Sansa¡¯s and Septa Mordane¡¯s glass, Torrhen intervened, ¡°A single glass is enough for you Sansa, no more, do you promise? If you behave you might meet with Lady.¡±


    Sansa nodded with glee at the prospect of meeting with her Direwolf. Joffrey seemed to want to defy him and use his authority as crown prince to let Sansa have more drinks but backed down with a single look from Torrhen. So far the boy seems to have behaved good with Sansa.


    Every now and then raising a toast to the Hand¡¯s son, the King roared with the wine flowing in his veins, ¡°To the Black Wolf! Who seems to have won the heart of every maiden and gave us a good show of martial entertainment. You would be a great warrior with a great sword or a war hammer upon the battle field, I know that as a warrior myself, boy. Tell me, will you fight in the melee tomorrow and show us how you fare with your feet on the ground? I would love to fight against you with my war hammer just like the old days.¡±


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    Torrhen raised his chalice and downed the wine. ¡°I would love to go in a fight against a warrior such as yourself Robert, the tales I have heard about you in the battlefield with your war hammer that others find hard to even lift. But I must decline, I do not like to participate in a melee.¡±


    ¡°Are you scared Stark?¡± Ser Jamie said with a sneer. Some of the Lannister men gave a chuckle.


    Torrhen had drunk too much wine. ¡°No Ser Jamie, I follow my father¡¯s example in matters such as this, a melee would reveal too much of the way I fight. And I like to surprise my enemies when I meet them in the battlefield in the future. They won¡¯t know what hit them.¡± Torrhen gave a smile to Jamie Lannister.


    ¡°A shame,¡± said King Robert. ¡°I would have loved to fight against you tomorrow.¡±


    The conversation continued, until two wolf¡¯s howl sounded, a Direwolves howl not a wolf¡¯s, and the feast became silent. The people turned their heads around in fear to look at where the beasts sounded so that they can run in the other direction.


    ¡°Its fine,¡± Torrhen reassured them as he rose.


    Ser Barristan and a few members of the Kingsguard had their hands on the handle of their swords.


    ¡°Ser Barristan,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°There is no need for anyone to unsheathe your sword. Believe me. Your Grace if you would be so kind.¡±


    ¡°No one will raise their sword in my feast within my presence tonight,¡± Robert said. ¡°Any one who does so will face my wrath tomorrow in the melee.¡±


    Torrhen could feel the excitement of the Direwolves. As they neared he could hear it too. They were in a mad rush as they burst towards the High Table. The men and women near to the Direwolves path scrambled to get away from them.


    Just as they were about to pounce on Torrhen across the High Table, he roared: ¡°Stop right there!¡±


    And like someone cut their strings, Winter and Lady halted in a skid and stopped right in front of the high table and Ser Barristan his hand still on his sword¡¯s hilt, with their tails wagging left and right fast.


    ¡°Sit.¡± The Direwolves sat on the ground. Winter let out a bark as he did so and Lady didn¡¯t bark as she did. Torrhen leaped across the table, walked to them and knelt in front of them. ¡°I hope the both of you behaved well in my absence.¡±


    The both of them gave a bark in response. The crowd seemed to calm down as they saw the Direwolves behaving well and in a civilized manner.


    ¡°No licking,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°I repeat there will be no licking and no pouncing on me. Go softly, I am a human and you both are not pups anymore. Now bring it.¡±


    Winter and Lady disobeyed all his instructions and pounced on him. Putting his back to the ground and Winter licked his face with his slobbery tongues as the crowd laughed around him.


    Torrhen fought with a smile to stop Winter¡¯s tongue from licking his face any longer, even Lady had started to lick him at the end. She was getting corrupted more from staying with her brother and behaving less lady like with each passing day to Torrhen¡¯s relief, after all Lady was a direwolf and he didn¡¯t want to see her behave like one of those strict, boring highborn Ladies. Torrhen wanted Lady to be free from any backward restrictions that humans forced themselves upon.


    He rubbed their heads and kissed their foreheads. ¡°For being a good boy and girl all day you both need to be rewarded! Bring the meat!¡± Torrhen called to the servants. They responded with barks.


    He bought Winter and Lady to the grass outside the pavilions and away from the crowd. Even though they smiled at Winter¡¯s and Lady¡¯s antics they seemed tense. The moment Sansa followed them, Lady went to her. She was very much delighted to meet Lady after all these days and Lady too was happy to see Sansa as she responded to Sansa.


    Joffrey seemed to have followed Sansa with Ser Sandor Clegane to shadow him. Though he stayed a step away from her.


    The servants bought half an auroch, cooked on a spit and placed it on the grass. Torrhen let Winter and Lady eat to their hearts content as they devoured it.


    Sansa was back with her Prince, telling tales of Lady to him.


    Torrhen sat on the ground and watched Winter and Lady eat the meet. For some reason, watching them eat filled his stomach too.


    The Direwolves almost finished eating their meat when they heard a roar coming from the Pavilion. ¡°You do not tell me what to do, woman,¡± Robert screamed at Queen Cersei. ¡°I am king here, do you understand? I rule here, and if I say that I will fight tomorrow, I will fight!¡±


    The Queen left in silence with her servants trailing after her.


    Jaime Lannister put a hand on the king¡¯s shoulder, but the king shoved him away hard. He stumbled and fell. The king guffawed. ¡°The great knight. I can still knock you in the dirt. Remember that, Kingslayer.¡± He slapped his chest with the jeweled goblet, splashing wine all over his satin tunic. ¡°Give me my hammer and not a man in the realm can stand before me!¡±


    Jaime Lannister rose and brushed himself off. ¡°As you say, Your Grace.¡± His voice was stiff.


    Lord Renly came forward, smiling. ¡°You¡¯ve spilled your wine, Robert. Let me bring you a fresh goblet.¡±


    Looks like the King was too drunk. Torrhen had no mind interfering in a quarrel between a Royal husband and wife so he just watched them.


    ¡°It grows late,¡± Joffrey said. He had a queer look on his face and for the first time Torrhen felt pity for the boy. Now, he could understand some of his behavior. With parents like his, no wonder he was lacking good manners and behavior. ¡°Do you need an escort back to the castle?¡± he asked Sansa.


    ¡°No,¡± Sansa began. She looked for Septa Mordane, but she was asleep back at the table because of her low tolerance to wine. And when she looked to Torrhen with those sweet and begging eyes, Torrhen gave a nod. ¡°I mean to say ¡­ yes, thank you, that would be most kind. I am tired, and the way is so dark. I should be glad for some protection.¡±


    Joffrey called out, ¡°Dog!


    ¡°Yes, Your Grace?¡± Sandor Clegane said.


    ¡°Take my betrothed back to the castle, and see that no harm befalls her,¡± Joffrey told him brusquely. And without even a word of farewell, Joffrey strode off, leaving Sansa there. Looks like he had some learning to do on how to treat a Lady well.


    Torrhen laughed along with the Hound at Sansa¡¯s dashed hopes of being escorted by the Prince. ¡°Did you think Joff was going to take you himself?¡± Sandor laughed. ¡°Small chance of that. Come, you¡¯re not the only one needs sleep. I¡¯ve drunk too much, and I may need to kill my brother tomorrow.¡± He laughed again.


    Sansa looked terrified and once more requested with her eyes for another favor at her brother. But Torrhen only smiled, ¡°Lady will accompany you Sansa, she can stay with you for the night.¡±


    Lady went to Sansa without a complaint or so much as looking back at him. She was relieved for the Direwolf to accompany her. Men like Sandor with his burnt face probably scared his sister more. But other than the incident at the Trident, all the reports Torrhen had learnt about him showed that he was nothing like his rabid brother, he behaved more like a knight than his knighted brother did. So he let him escort his sister, but not without a warning.


    He took the Torch from Owen and handed it to Sandor Clegane, ¡°You will see to it that my sister is escorted safely Clegane or there will be hell to pay. See you on the morrow at the joust.¡±


    ¡°Whatever,¡± Sandor muttered as he went away with his Sister and Lady to watch after her for Torrhen.


    The feast was over now, and everyone had disappeared after the King stumbled away.


    Torrhen sat back on the grass and watched the stars in the dark night. Winter bought his head to rest upon Torrhen¡¯s lap as he stroked his head in the way he found satisfying. The rest of the pack that remained with him in Kingslanding sat beside him; Cleyton, Owen, Alys and Rose, she seemed healed from her traumatic past with Ramsay Snow.


    ¡°For some reason I feel like the days of peace and summer will soon end,¡± Torrhen said with a depressed voice.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Owen said, as he rested with his back on the grass, eyes almost closed with sleep. ¡°Winter might start anytime soon after all these years of summer. But remember that you are a part of the Pack Torrhen. Even the harshest winter won¡¯t be able to hurt us so long as we remain a Pack.¡±


    ¡°Damn,¡± Alys said with a smile. ¡°Jax was right, Owen is getting too old. We should have left him in Winterfell.¡±


    Rose chuckled, Torrhen, Alys and Cleyton smiled, and Winter let out a bark as though he understood the conversation, as Owen muttered a sleepy protest. And they bought back that familiar feeling of safety to Torrhen that he had felt after he ran away from home with Owen and found his Pack one by one.


    Torrhen was ready to die for them but it would break his heart to see any one of his Pack dying for him before he could do anything in his power to stop it.


    Out of the many knights, free riders and hedge knights only four remained to participate in the Semi-finals and Finals tomorrow; Torrhen Stark himself, Sandor Clegane, Ser Jamie Lannister of the Kingsguard and finally the rabid dog, Gregor Clegane, the Mountain that rides.


    It would be interesting to go against him. Torrhen could finally have a chance to put down the rabid dog with a well placed lance like the Dog did with the one he went against.


    Maybe tomorrow was the day the rapist and murderer Gregor Clegane would finally meet his end.


    Torrhen hoped that he could keep his emotions in check tomorrow, but after he had read the reports of the Mountain¡¯s actions the task would be impossible as he faced him tomorrow.


    Even remembering it bought Torrhen¡¯s blood to a boil.


    Sensing his unease, Winter gave a low growl.


    ¡°Is it about tomorrow¡¯s joust?¡± Cleyton said, with exact accuracy. He knew Torrhen well enough after all the years they traveled together.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t do anything to him tomorrow,¡± Alys said with concern. ¡°All the eyes will be on you. No matter the reason, if they see any wrongdoing the Lannister¡¯s will pronounce it murder.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I know.¡±


    ¡°Promise me then,¡± Alys said.


    Torrhen remained silent for a moment as he considered it. Then: ¡°That I cannot do.¡±


    Cleyton sighed. ¡°Whatever you do, do not attack him unprovoked. We can spin off anything else but an unprovoked attack against a knight of the seven kingdoms, no matter the past or previous actions, for no reason will set us back greatly.¡±


    All Torrhen said was: ¡°I know.¡± But he knew he would not be able to control himself in front of the rabid dog.

 Chapter 18: A Joust Against the Mountain

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    ***


    Just like Torrhen had predicted, there would be no peace for him or his Pack from now on. A hawk had come bearing dark news; the purpose with which the Hawks were assigned when he gave it to his Pack to send word to him.


    Jax had sent the Hawk just after he had crossed the Trident. He stayed low as he was told and followed Torrhen¡¯s Mother and her two companions, from a distance, to guard her from any complication that may have arisen on the way to home. It seems they had found trouble at the Inn at the Crossroads, this was the second time trouble was found in a single place for the Starks; was the place cursed?


    His mother had sought room and food for the night at the Inn after getting tired of the travel. All seemed well until  it was dinner when Tyrion Lannister entered the Inn, and found the Lady Catelyn Stark hiding in a place where she was not supposed to be.


    His mother with her intelligence bought enough time for Torrhen to prepare for any aggression from the Lannisters in King¡¯s Landing as well as the true purpose of why she had come and gone from King¡¯s Landing in secret. She had kidnapped Tyrion with the help of her father¡¯s Lord Hoster Tully¡¯s vassal banner men and a bunch of sells swords, and announced to the men and women at the Inn that he was to be tried for his crimes at Winterfell.


    Only she took Tyrion to the Vale to be tried in her Sister, Aunt Lysa Arryn¡¯s court in the Eyrie of the Vale. Whether Tyrion had tried to kill his Brother Bran or not, Torrhen will know now because, Jax pretended to be a sell-sword and got into Catelyn¡¯s band.


    Jax would earn Tyrion¡¯s trust and get into his good will and manipulate the truth from him.


    The travel would have been perilous going through the Mountain road, with shadow cats and wild mountain clansmen roaming and pillaging. Torrhen would have been worried for his mother if not for the two members of his Pack accompanying her, Bennard the Septon and Jax.


    After receiving the Hawk, Torrhen had told Cleyton to hire men to protect the Pack and the Starks in King¡¯s Landing. When news of his brother¡¯s arrest will come to the capital, Ser Jamie Lannister would incite violence, there were reports that the two brothers had a good relationship as brothers. And the Lannisters outnumbered the Stark men.


    His Father and Sisters were to be under increased guards at all times. With extra men present in the Pack¡¯s mansion as well as the Hand¡¯s Tower. Cleyton would hire some of the trusted men the Pack had helped to hire as guards and as agents to work undercover to help in matters of intrigue that they had missed.


    Staying in King¡¯s Landing now seemed unsafe, Torrhen would have to persuade his father to leave for Winterfell or at least send Sansa and Arya until things cool down and peace has been attained between the Lannisters and Starks.


    ***


    Torrhen tried to keep his emotions in check as he let Cleyton put his black armor on him. He would face the Mountain in the Semi-finals, with Ser Jamie and Sandor Clegane going against each other.


    The Direwolves were locked in the mansion with Alys, with the turmoil of emotions in Torrhen it would be a serious miscalculation to let the Direwolves near him.


    They could feel the emotions he felt in him when they were near him and they responded to resolve it without a restraint, for they are animals no matter how civilized they were raised. With the rage that was flowing in his veins, they would pounce and attack the rabid dog they called the Mountain without a thought, and as they tore through his skin and feasted upon the rotten flesh, Torrhen would not have the mind to pull them back as he relished finally in the death of the dog.


    And only Torrhen could control the Direwolves when they were in their rage, their eyes filled with the wildness of a natural predator hunting for its prey, with great effort. That is, if he himself has not fallen into that wildness along with them.


    That was his greatest fear.


    When his family looked upon him in his true state.


    The darkness that existed deep inside him that he had kept buried with a high restraint, now open for the entire world to see.


    Would they see a man or a wild direwolf beast in the skin of a human?


    Would his Father Ned, look upon him as his own son or a beast that he should have put down when he was still a child?


    Would his mother Catelyn, look upon him and see the child that she had nursed from a sickness that would have killed him when he was a babe, or a dark beast that had taken over her precious child?


    Would his siblings look upon their brother with whom they had done mischievous things together as children or will they fear him and wish for him to be not in their presence?


    Could Torrhen even live with that weighing upon his shoulders?


    Would he ever be normal?


    That was what he had desired most when he was a child. To be normal. Be a dutiful son to his father, be a loving son to his mother, be a brother to lean upon for his siblings. But he had abandoned them the moment the opportunity arrived to hide his true self from being found out by them.


    And fate seemed to have other things stored for him as it tested his sanity with that never ending headaches and nightmares, he had been facing since he was a child, in increasing frequency as time passed and he grew from the sickly child that he was into a man capable of taking care for himself.


    ¡°Peace Torrhen,¡± Cleyton said. ¡°Expel the dark thoughts you have in your mind.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking about how to defeat the rabid dog thats all,¡± Torrhen said.


    ¡°I know how you think Torrhen, after all the years I have traveled with you, I would be a lousy friend if I didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I would have preferred it if you could not read my mind with a single glance, I would take a lousy friend any day to one who could see me for what I am.¡±


    ¡°And what are you Torrhen? A man who cares deeply for his family and friends. I would sooner look upon your true self and be a friend that is there for you, rather than being shallow and being a lousy friend.¡±


    ¡°Are you getting all old on me like Owen,¡± Torrhen said with a laugh.


    ¡°Do not try to change the conversation,¡± Cleyton said. ¡°Friends are there for you to lean upon when you don¡¯t want to lean upon your family. They may complain a bit but in the end a true friend would let you lean upon them. And you have many friends that you have made across Westeros and Essos never forget that.¡±


    Torrhen nodded. He checked his armor and Cleyton handed him the Wolf helm. He got out of his tent and checked his Horse.


    Looking into the brown eyes of the Horse, he felt calm as he comforted her with a few pats and rubs and fed her a carrot. ¡°Once more we ride together upon the ground as one. I will love you even if we lose okay. Just don¡¯t over exert yourself.¡±


    The horse neighed a response and Torrhen gave a smile.


    The rabid dog might play dirty and aim for his horse and that was his fear. The horse had no name. He had stopped naming horses after the third one had died. The grief at losing them was unbearable, it was as though a part of him had died along with them and since then he had no heart to name the horses he rode. Still their deaths hit hard nonetheless.


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    Trumpets sounded and it was time for the Joust to begin.


    Torrhen checked the Great Valyrian Sword that was sheathed and tied to his Horse. Put on his wolf helm and mounted his horse. Cleyton gave him the lance and shield. Once they were secure in his hands he guided his horse to the lists and place where he started.


    The crowd seemed to be in a good mood as they cheered for the Black Wolf. And he showed them that he had heard them as he went round the lists in a gallop clashing the lance against his shield.


    He saw that his Father Ned was in the stands today with Sansa. And he gave his father a bow of respect that he had not given the King Robert. Owen was with them as instructed to guard his father for now.


    Owen said that the Lord Stark distrusted him and would give him a cold look every now and then but Torrhen requested him to endure it for the time being.


    Torrhen gave Sansa a positive nod seeing her fear on her face. Torrhen had given all his personal gold dragons in his purse to her for her to bet on him with the other high born members that he would win against the Mountain and win the Tourney; Father would hate to see his daughter gambling, but Torrhen wanted her to experience the thrill without the fear of her big brother getting hurt hanging over her head and he wanted to take everyones money when they bet against him (It was not a small amount that he had given Sansa, he gave her all the personal money he had kept for himself that he had earned in his travels and with that he would wipe the others earnings clean.).


    In the morning, she had come to him expressing her fear that he would get hurt like the Vale knight that had died against the Mountain the previous day.


    Torrhen smiled reassuringly and gave a kiss to his sweet sister¡¯s forehead and assured her that nothing would happen to him as he said: ¡°Sansa, when the Joust begins, I want you to stand up and announce to all the high born that you would match any amount in a bet on behalf of Torrhen Stark against me. Remember bet on the side that I would win against the Mountain and the Tourney Joust.¡±


    Arya was not allowed to participate by Father as she was still young. And Torrhen agreed with him as he wanted to protect her childhood from the violence that existed in the real world. The death of the Butcher¡¯s boy had affected her so much already. And as he was leaving after breakfast, Arya had asked him to hurt Sandor Clegane if Torrhen went against him.


    As he took his place, the Mountain, Ser Gregor Clegane appeared on a wild stallion that was able to carry his enormous body with great effort as he kept the stallion under control with a tight leash on the reins on the other side of the lists.


    Looking at the man, all the calmness in him had gone like a storm had blew them away. The crowd disappeared and with them their noises. The reports he had heard about the Mountain flashed in his mind unbidden; rapes, torture and murders to countless innocents, to both smallfolk and highborn, a babe or a grown man treated the same as he drove them to their deaths.


    A dark voice whispered in him to put that rabid dog down. Tear his throat out and end the misery that his victims faced whenever they meet him in a wrong place at the wrong time.


    The rabid dog should have been put down a long time ago, but he would not stray from his lair. So Torrhen could not put him down before.


    That familiar pounding headache appeared again and his horse neighed in nervousness. He calmed the horse but he found it difficult to calm his mind as the ache tried to shatter his mind into a million pieces.


    This is your chance to put him down, the voice whispered. Enticing him to throw the Lance away, grab Ice and separate the rabid dog¡¯s head from his body.


    With great focus he removed that enticing idea from his head and couched his lance and readied the shield as the King called for the Joust to start.


    Torrhen could feel the Stallion¡¯s restlessness. Horses that were not gelded were hard to control and he gave a slight push to the Stallion in that direction, to follow its nature to be wild as it started its gallop.


    Torrhen urged his own horse to go into a gallop. In seconds, he was racing the wind as they picked up speed and with every step neared the center where the Lances would meet.


    The pain in his head was dangerously distracting him from the joust now. A mistake would cost him his life in a joust against a beast such as the Mountain.


    So with a wild roar in his helm he tried to push against whatever that was happening in his head.


    A great sense of clarity and focus cleared his mind for the seconds that would matter as he faced the rabid dog coming upon him.


    But time seemed to slow and with a greater sense of clarity Torrhen could feel the minds of the horse that he was riding upon, the Stallion that was racing towards him, his hawk from Jax circling the sky above the tourney grounds, Winter and Lady locked far in their room in the manse. Nymeria as she hunted in the Riverlands. Summer, Grey Wind and Shaggydog in Winterfell and Ghost at the Wall with the two other hawks flying in the Northern air.


    He could see what they saw as they walked on their four legs, breath the smells they breathed with their snouts, feel the wind as they flew and many a familiar faces appeared to him.


    He could see his brother Bran awake in the eyes of Summer, Robb and Winterfell with Grey Wind¡¯s eyes. Jon and Will through Ghost¡¯s eyes. Alys through Winter¡¯s and Lady¡¯s. The North from the Sky. The tourney grounds from the Sky.


    And the mountain riding on his stallion through his horses eyes as he aimed his lance, and a man in wolfs armor distracted, in the Stallion¡¯s eyes.


    With a sudden realization he sensed where he was, two seconds away from meeting the Mountain¡¯s lance.


    With great speed, he aimed his lance to the center of that enormous body and his shield to glance away his opponents lance. But that would not be enough so he concentrated on the Horses and gave a greater nudge to follow his wish, his horse sidestepped at the last crucial moment and the Stallion grew even more restless as it neared Torrhen¡¯s horse.


    The Mountain¡¯s lance splintered as it hammered into the Wolf crested shield and pushed against Torrhen¡¯s balance on his horse. His own lance had made contact and splintered against the Mountain¡¯s body but he had no time to see whether it had knocked him out or not, as he wrestled to keep himself seated on his horse.


    All he could hear was the crowd¡¯s mad thundering applause. As he removed his helm and held it in his hand, he looked at the Lords and Ladies standing up from their seats. He could see his sister and father on their feet with worry written on their faces and joy. The King was on his feet too laughing as he held onto his belly with one hand and the other spilling wine onto people near him and the raucous laughter of the Hound.


    His horse helped greatly as she calmed herself as quickly as possible and slowing down so that Torrhen could seat himself properly. That should have knocked him down, if not for his horse and grip.


    Torrhen looked upon the Mountain to see him fallen on the ground as his Stallion reared restlessly on its hind legs.


    Torrhen could feel the heavy exhaustion that was waiting for him the moment the adrenaline wore off. He could fall into a deep, exhaust comforting sleep right there and then if he let himself. But he kept it at bay knowing that there was another Joust, it would seem like he was weak if he fell in exhaustion right after a single Joust.


    And the things that he had seen and felt in his mind to the leading moment as their lances connected, that he tucked it away for now. His mind was too exhausted to even think about it.


    The headache seemed to be returning with a greater strength and intensity amplified from the crowd¡¯s deafening noise as they went mad for him. It was a wonder that he could keep himself awake and conscious with that hammering in his head and the exhaustion that strained his body.


    Torrhen¡¯s mind was fighting the exhaustion to remain alert as he sensed that the match was not over yet. And he was right as he saw the Mountain rise.


    In the middle of the field, the rabid dog disentangled himself and came boiling to his feet. He wrenched off his helm and slammed it down onto the ground. His face was dark with fury and his hair fell down into his eyes. ¡°My sword,¡± he shouted to his squire, and the boy ran it out to him. By then his stallion was back on its feet as well.


    Gregor Clegane killed the horse with a single blow of such ferocity that it half severed the animal¡¯s neck. Cheers turned to shrieks in a heartbeat and Torrhen could feel the life go from the Stallion as it went to its knees, screaming as it died.


    By then the Rabid Dog was striding down the lists towards Torrhen, his bloody sword clutched in his fist.


    ¡°Stop him!¡± His father Ned shouted with fear for his son along with Owen, but his words were lost in the roar. Everyone else was yelling as well, and Sansa was crying and for some reason Torrhen could hear his family over the yelling of the others.


    Torrhen was no hero like the crowd treated him as the Black Wolf.


    He was a stone cold killer, capable of taking the life out of a body without a second thought.


    That he had known since he was a child when he took his first life of a wildling raider from beyond the wall when he had gone along with his father.


    Since then he had tried hard to keep that darkness in him out of sight of his family, even running away from home.


    But hearing and feeling the distress and fear in his father, his sister Sansa and his friends in the Pack, and the Stallion that was now dead, it unraveled his mind and his control on his emotions even more.


    He felt the darkness let loose in him as it engulfed him. Setting his blood to a boil and letting the rage fill his mind without any restraint to hold it back.


    Torrhen was a killer and he knew what the Mountain would do. So after he had killed his Stallion and advanced upon Torrhen.


    Torrhen was ready for the Mountain, with his helm and shield discarded, and dismounted from the horse, his great sword already unsheathed and sending his horse away from the fight.


    Standing on his feet holding Ice, the ancestral Valyrian Great Sword, with his two hands, he bought it up to meet the Rabid Dog¡¯s blow from his great sword.


    And at that moment the Darkness in him was truly unleashed with nothing to hold it back and for all the world and his loved ones to see upon his true hidden dark nature.


    A Wild Beast more dangerous than the Direwolves of the Wild.


    The moment the two swords clashed, a Hawk screeched in fury in the sky above them, his Horse was neighing and stamping the ground with its hooves restlessly as it reared.


    Winter and Lady howled and growled and snapped as Winter clawed the oak door into splinters to let them out to reach Torrhen.


    The Beast was out of its cage now.


    Torrhen tried.


    But the Beast was out of its cage, for the World to see his endless wild rage, wrath and fury.


    ****


    /// Important announcement!!!!! Read the end Author Notes or Chapter Notes ///

 Chapter 19: The Fight against the Mountain

    Clang!


    The noise burst in the air as Torrhen met the Mountain¡¯s blow from his sword with his own great sword Ice.


    This will be the day the Mad Dog will die by my hands.


    The giant¡¯s strength and force on his weapon could be felt in Torrhen¡¯s hand as he blocked it.


    Torrhen blocked blow after blow as the people screamed and yelled as the Mountain turned rabid and attacked the Hand¡¯s son.


    Sandor Clegane came forward to stop the fight but Torrhen kept the Mountain away with a cut from above, using the long edge of the sword to his advantage and screamed like a wild man at the hound: ¡°NO! The Rabid Dog¡¯s mine to kill!¡±


    Torrhen swung Ice like a mad man at the Mountain¡¯s naked head but it was blocked every time.


    With every clash of the swords, the Mountain took a step forward to close the distance between them. But Torrhen kept him back by retreating a step, knowing it would mean his death if he were within the hands reach of the Mountain.


    Torrhen would have already lost if he had fought with a normal great sword. Because for a man like the Mountain a great sword was like a normal sword, and the strength he had because of his stature was unmatched to Torrhen¡¯s.


    But he had Ice with him. A Valyrian great sword that was lighter and sharper than a steel one. Still Torrhen was losing the fight, and he would have given up knowing that it was futile to win against the mountain but he was taken with rage and fury as the Beast was unleashed.


    And the Beast would only be satisfied by tearing the Mountain¡¯s throat out even when Torrhen was a single step away from death¡¯s door.


    ¡°Come and face your death! Dog!¡±


    Torrhen nicked the mountain¡¯s hand through his armor with a cut and thrust and backed off. He was getting tired faster than the Mountain.


    ¡°STOP THIS MADNESS,¡± The King boomed, ¡°IN THE NAME OF YOUR KING!¡±


    The Mountain stopped for a moment as he assessed the damage to his hand and to better grip his sword.


    ¡°Torrhen back away this instant,¡± his father shouted as he advanced from the stands. ¡°Owen, Selmy, separate the mad dog from my son this instant.¡± His sister was shrieking now at the mortal fight that could get her brother killed.


    And Torrhen was breathless and afraid that the mountain would slip free from his hands. All he could think about was killing the Mountain once and for all. So with fury laced in his mouth he bellowed loud enough for all the crowd to hear: ¡°Why have you stopped Dog! Are you only capable of killing new born babes and women! Are you afraid of a fight with a man who is older than a babe!¡±


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    That seemed to further enrage the mad dog as he resumed his attack and Torrhen met it with a mad smile on his face, relishing that he could get a chance to kill.


    The King¡¯s men were getting closer to stop the fight when Winter and Lady burst into the lists as they snapped and growled at anyone getting close to Torrhen¡¯s back. The men backed away at once seeing the fangs and anger of the Direwolves, Winter even clawed at the Hound¡¯s hand when he refused to back away.


    The Direwolves circled Torrhen and the Mountain as they fought, keeping everyone else away as they showed their feral faces at them. And occasionally taking a snap at the Mountain¡¯s leg as he fought it off with a swing of his leg.


    A cut from above threw the Mountain¡¯s sword aside and Torrhen swinged Ice back to sever the Mad Dog¡¯s head into half when the Mountain lurched backwards narrowly missing it, but the edge severed the nose clean.


    The Mountain lost his balance when he stepped on Torrhen¡¯s helm and he fell to the ground in a great heap of noise.


    Torrhen was upon him in a moment, not allowing him to recover to get the chance to grab him with his hands.


    Ice was forgotten on the ground as Torrhen pummeled the Mountain¡¯s face with his hands. He noticed his helm beside the ground and swiftly picked it up.


    Raising it high in the air and bringing it back on the Mad dog¡¯s face. Shouting madly with each blow:


    ¡°Child Killer!¡±


    ¡°Rapist!¡±


    ¡°Murderer!¡±


    Torrhen turned the Mountain¡¯s face into a bloody pulp.


    Hands pulled him away from the top of the Mountain¡¯s body. Torrhen resisted it, screaming as he did so.


    And only stopped when he looked upon Sansa¡¯s fearful face. The thought that the fear on her face was because of him shattered his dark spell and the rage spilled out of him in an instant.


    Owen helped him to his feet and Torrhen looked around at the crowd. Cleyton parried a blow meant for Lady with his sword from one of the King¡¯s man¡¯s spear and Winter had torn out the throat of one of the Mountain¡¯s squire with his fangs. He realized that things had gotten carried away.


    ¡°Kill the Wild Beasts,¡± came a shout from one of the knights.


    ¡°I will kill anyone who dares hurt my Direwolves,¡± Torrhen screamed as he picked up Ice from the ground ready to fight once more and went near Winter.


    And they all backed away from the direwolves, even the man who tried to hurt Lady backed away with fear.


    ¡°Hold the Direwolves back Torrhen,¡± his father said. ¡°They are not listening to anyone.¡±


    ¡°Winter, Lady to me.¡± And they came by his feet, giving a snarl with their bloody snouts and a look at the men that were around them.


    The King came from the stands, his face angry: ¡°I told you to stop! And you incited him to fight you against the King¡¯s command.¡±


    ¡°He killed my Stallion,¡± Torrhen said, trying to keep his emotions in check. ¡°When he lost in the Joust, his armor and mount was mine to ransom back to him.¡± He turned to the crowds. ¡°He tried to kill me in the presence of all these people when he attacked me. The Hand¡¯s son. Your best friend¡¯s son. The mad dog should be executed here for the crimes he had done to the smallfolk.¡± He stopped for a moment, and recalled the one thing he hated about the Baratheon King. ¡°Your first act as King should have been to kill him, when he dashed a child against the wall and raped and murdered a defenseless highborn woman. And what did you do then!¡±


    The crowd murmured amongst themselves hearing the accusation.


    ¡°Enough! You will speak no more. If you do, I will not even consider that you are Ned¡¯s son.¡± The King said, remembering that incident with the Targaryens.


    ¡°Your Grace¡­¡± Father began.


    Torrhen spat on the ground, turned away from them, and whistled for his Horse. He sheathed Ice on the mount and galloped away from the tourney grounds to the Kingswood not able to stand it any longer, with the Direwolves following him, as the crowd parted to let them leave.

 Chapter 20: The Three-eyed Crow

    This was a nightmare, Torrhen knew.


    He was asleep inside the mansion and what he was seeing was a dream. Regardless of the knowledge that he was dreaming, it didn¡¯t lift his fear as the dream unfolded.


    Dark figures held him back, holding his hands and head in place to make him watch. They lined up everyone he cared about in front of him; his family, his direwolves, his Pack and everyone of his friends he had made in his travels.


    He could see his lovers, the two women who had stolen part of his heart, his strong Orelia, a powerful lady from Braavos and his sweet Wynafryd, granddaughter of Wyman Manderly of the White Harbor.


    It had been many days since he had last seen them. Though this was a dream, they looked as real as in life. And seeing them in his nightmare rattled him even more.


    Torrhen tugged at his hands to release him.


    Everyone he loved and cared about were on their knees. The dark figures didn¡¯t hold them but yet they stayed on their knees in front of him as a dark figure approached them.


    It went to Owen first, his oldest friend and the first member of the Pack, he had created. A spear materialized out of nowhere and the dark figure thrust it into his throat. Surprise showed on Owen¡¯s face as blood from his mouth painted his white beard red, he looked at Torrhen and said with a broken voice: ¡°I had your back. Why didn¡¯t you have mine?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Torrhen shouted and fought against those he held him. But it was no use.


    The dark figure went to his father, Ned Stark, and cut his head off in a single stroke. The head rolled near to Torrhen¡¯s feet and said: ¡°My son, why did you abandon me?¡±


    His father was dead now. ¡°No. Father! I didn¡¯t abandon you.¡± Torrhen said as tears streamed from his eyes.


    His brother Robb spoke, from where he knelt. ¡°You are my twin. They say that twins have a link-connection with each other that others don¡¯t have. I thought you would be there beside me as I ruled my Kingdom. Did you feel our bond break when they stabbed me in the back?¡± And the dark figure drove a dagger into his back.


    His mother Catelyn Stark shrieked, ¡°My Children! Torrhen my sweet baby boy, they are killing our family, why are you not saving them?¡±


    Torrhen raged at those who held him. ¡°Please I beg you. Stop this. No more¡­¡± He broke into tears and sobbed.


    Torrhen shut his eyes as his mother let out a shriek as the dark figure slit her throat with a dagger.


    A three-eyed crow appeared on the shoulder of the dark figure and spoke then. ¡°You should not exist. You are supposed to be dead. The longer you live, you will get to see more of your loved ones die. Die or stop resisting me, else I will see to it that everyone you love is dead.¡±


    Torrhen opened his eyes to see the voice that spoke. Then dark figures materialized behind all of his loved ones and killed them all using different ways. Daggers, swords, arrows, strangulation, etc, one by one they all died and the dark figures piled their bodies into a single pile.


    Only Winter was left alive and they dragged him in front of Torrhen.


    The three-eyed crow spoke again, ¡°Give up Torrhen. Yield your mind to me. How many more days will you keep on resisting me? It is inevitable. I will break your mind one day and then I will be able to take you. Stop this unnecessary suffering you inflict upon yourself.¡±


    That piercing headache he had often, resumed once more as the dark figures holding him pressed their hands on his head.


    The crow fluttered its wings in anger. ¡°Yield I said. I will kill everyone you love if you do not yield. Starting with your direwolf, Winter.¡±


    Torrhen stared defiantly at the crow . His eyes screaming his rage at it as his body convulsed in pain.


    ¡°So be it,¡± the three-eyed crow croaked. The dark figure raised his hand with the dagger.


    Torrhen focused his eyes on Winter.


    Winter stirred. Then he came alive and turned on the dark figure tearing into him with his claws and fangs. The three-eyed crow took to the air and croaked continuously as the dark figure lay dead.


    Winter turned from the dead dark figure to the figures holding Torrhen. He growled and snarled at them. Then he broke into a sprint and smashed into Torrhen.


    Torrhen could feel power growing in him as they became one, and released the beast in him. And he turned his head forcefully left and right, and bit onto the hands that held him, and teared it from their bodies.


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    The dark figures stumbled back in pain and he turned on them and killed them.


    More countless dark figures appeared, Torrhen raised his head and howled and set after them. He killed every single one of the dark figures and raised his head holding in his jaws one of the dead figures, at the three-eyed crow that hovered in the air.


    The three-eyed crow croaked and laughed as it moved in a circle above him, ¡°Look at what you did!¡±


    A fear pierced through him and he released the figure in his jaws. And Torrhen saw as the figure fell that it was Winter, his direwolf, his neck snapped apart, the dead eyes watched him.


    ¡°No. No. No.¡± Torrhen killed Winter.


    He didn¡¯t do it, he killed one of those dark figures, not Winter.


    Torrhen raised his eyes and saw the dark figures that he had killed. Their faces now revealed to him, he let out a anguished howl. He killed his family, his pack and everyone he loved and cared about. Their bodies marred with the claw and fang marks of the beast, the wounds Torrhen had inflicted upon them. His hands and face covered with the blood of his loved ones.


    He looked to the pile of bodies that the dark figures had created and it was not there now.


    ¡°You did it,¡± the three-eyed crow croaked. ¡°You killed your family, your lovers, your Pack and everyone you cared about. It was you that killed them. Look what happens when you try to keep me out of your mind. Yield your mind to me and I can stop this. You can¡¯t take this anymore.¡±


    Torrhen muttered continuously, ¡°No¡­no¡­no¡­no¡­no¡­no¡­¡±


    He backed away from the bodies of his loved ones that he had killed.


    This was a nightmare.


    This is not real.


    This is a dream.


    He hit his head once, twice, then kept on hitting his head with his hands. He had to get out of here. Direwolves howled in the distance, their howls like a thunder in this nightmare he had. But he would not wake up. Then the thought came out of nowhere.


    Torrhen killed them.


    He killed his family.


    He was the one that killed everyone he cared about.


    Then the nightmare broke, he gasped and his eyes opened. He scrambled to get up but something held him. He thrashed as he fought the ones that held him. And two wolfs howled in the background.


    ¡°Torrhen! Its fine. This is not a dream. You are awake. You are safe.¡± A soft voice said close to his head. The hands that held him said it.


    Torrhen calmed down at that familiar voice. He tried to calm his heaving breath and looked at his surroundings. He recognized his room in the mansion he had in King¡¯s Landing, the candles lit the dark room. He saw familiar faces to, Alys and Cleyton. Cleyton was holding his legs and Alys his hands as he sat on top of him. The Direwolves were on the floor next to the bed, their howls had stopped when they saw that he woke up.


    ¡°You are safe,¡± she repeated as she got off him and held his hand. Cleyton too released his legs and came to his side. Their faces showed fear and concern.


    Torrhen could feel the the cold sweat that soaked him and the bed. He was drenched in his sweat.


    Cleyton sighed as he could see that Torrhen was wide awake now. He went to the table and poured some wine onto a glass and bought it to him.


    Torrhen got up onto his seat and drank the whole glass to sate his parched throat.


    ¡°Its getting worse and worse,¡± Alys said as she watched Torrhen, sitting beside him. ¡°We need to do something.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°It will lessen by itself after some time. I had these nightmares with me since I was a child, you know that I had these even then when you joined the pack.¡±


    ¡°Not like this Torrhen,¡± Alys said. ¡°It used to come every few days and it was never this intense. Now every night, you wake up drenched in cold sweat and screaming for your life, and the direwolves howl as though you are dead. I am worried about you Torrhen. We need to get you some help.¡±


    ¡°I tried since I was a child. No medicine I take stops these nightmares. I can¡¯t do anything about it.¡±


    ¡°Tell him Cleyton,¡± Alys said. ¡°He needs someone to take a look at him. The nightmares are getting worse as time passes everyday since that damn Tourney joust and his fight with the Mountain.¡±


    Cleyton shook his head. ¡°There is nothing we can do to help it. What Torrhen is suffering from, I do not know. But it is something that I don¡¯t think can be cured by normal medicine.¡±


    ¡°At least see the Grand Maester about it then,¡± Alys said. ¡°He may be able to do something about it.¡±


    Torrhen caressed the bloody lip that he had caused to Alys with his thumb. ¡°I am sorry about this. I¡­ does it hurt?¡±


    She swatted his hand away. ¡°I am not worried about my bloody lip right now, Torrhen. Your nightmares are affecting you in real life too, your face is looking paler, and it looks as though you are becoming weaker and melancholic. You are laughing less and less as the days passed. And you are not fooling anyone with that fake smile you put on your face. So don¡¯t you try to change the subject.¡±


    Torrhen nodded to Cleyton to explain to her.


    ¡°We can¡¯t trust the Grand Maester Pycelle,¡± Cleyton said. ¡°We know that he is not trustworthy, just like the rest of the small council. His act as a old man, is just an act to wave off any suspicions on him. He must be working for the Lannisters, though I do not know for sure.¡±


    ¡°He is working for the Lannisters,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°We can¡¯t show any weakness right now. Word will reach of Tyrion¡¯s arrest by my mother. And the Lannisters might incite violence.¡±


    He could here a sobbing out by the door.


    ¡°Who is that crying?¡± Torrhen said.


    ¡°Rose.¡± Cleyton went to the door and bought her in.


    Tears streamed from her face and she tried to stop the sobbing but her shoulders would not stop shaking in shock. She ran and hugged him, burying her face in his chest.


    Torrhen hugged her back and patted her head. ¡°Its fine, Rose. It was nothing, just a nightmare. I am sorry if it scared you.¡±


    Rose didn¡¯t say a word.


    ¡°She woke up from the screaming,¡± Alys said. ¡°I told her to go back to her room and shut her door. But she wouldn¡¯t leave.¡±


    Torrhen patted her head. ¡°You should not have witnessed this, Rose. It would be best if you slept with my sisters in the Hand¡¯s tower from the next night onwards.¡±


    She shook her head.


    ¡°I am sorry Rose,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°I can¡¯t let my nightmares disturb your sleep because of me. We will not speak of this to anyone. Do you all understand? Especially my family. I don¡¯t want to trouble them. Father has already more work on his hands being the Hand of the King.¡±


    Torrhen sighed. ¡°Go to sleep everyone. We will discuss more tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Come, Rose,¡± Alys said. ¡°You can sleep with me today.¡±


    After they all left, Winter and Lady got onto the bed and lay next to him. With their warm fur providing warmth, he slept as exhaustion took over him. And so he slept through another sleepless night that did nothing to cure the exhaustion and tiredness he felt.


    ***


    IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!!! || READ THE NOTES AT THE END.

 Chapter 21: Aryas Disappearance

    Torrhen sat in his father¡¯s solar. He had come to the Red Keep from his mansion the moment he heard that Arya had went missing. Cleyton had organized a search party for her outside the Red Keep, in case she went out through the gates into the City of King¡¯s Landing, and Owen had father¡¯s men looking for her within the Red Keep. Winter and Lady had gone with Cleyton and the Pack to see if they could track her down using the Direwolves¡¯ scent.


    ¡°I worry too much for her,¡± his father said, after he drank a cup of wine. ¡°She has the Wolf¡¯s blood just like you. Though she hasn¡¯t yet troubled me so much as you did, when you were a child.¡±


    Torrhen hid his face in the cup as he drank his wine. It was a bit embarrassing and awkward to have a conversation about his childhood with his father.


    They were close before he had run away, he was an active child always making trouble, and following his father everywhere he went. Torrhen had looked up to his father more than the heros told in stories like the Sword of the Morning and Prince Aemon the Dragonknight. There was no one in this world dead or alive that could make Torrhen look up to, more than his father Ned Stark.


    Then the nightmares started after Torrhen had killed the wildling raider. He thought his mother and father would protect him and help make it stop. Torrhen couldn¡¯t explain it to them as he was just a child then, and the nightmares were affecting him more, it had turned him to have fits of rage and anger at everyone that was close to him.


    They tried everything to cure whatever was affecting him with the help of maester Luwin but none of it worked. Torrhen couldn¡¯t take it anymore then, the thoughts of hatred and rage at his family members had tormented him as two parts of his mind fought each other. One spew nothing but anger and hatred, the other weighed him down with the guilt of having such thoughts towards his family.


    Once when the thought had passed his mind of killing Robb, his own twin brother, to make sure that Torrhen would be the one to inherit the North and Winterfell, he knew something was wrong with him. In fear that he might hurt his family, he had chosen to run away.


    Since then he and his father had grown estranged. Though he could now talk with the rest of his family easily, his father¡¯s cold demeanor and Torrhen¡¯s awkwardness had not helped restore the closeness that they once had. Torrhen wanted to restore it so that they could talk with each other as a normal father and son.


    ¡°My baby girl playing with swords,¡± Ned said. ¡°A sword that my own smith had forged, arming my child without my knowledge. Did you give that sword to your sister, Torrhen?¡±


    ¡°No father,¡± Torrhen replied. ¡°I know that she has more interest with swords than needles, but it was not me.¡± He thought for a moment. ¡°Jon, he must have gifted it to her before he left for the wall. They are close with each other, must have done it to cheer her up considering that he was leaving Winterfell.¡±


    Torrhen noticed the change in his father¡¯s face at the mention of Jon. Ned poured another glass of wine and drank it. His father drank wine in moderation and seeing him drink so much wine, Torrhen knew that something was troubling him regarding Jon. ¡°I had a Bravosi masquerade as a dance instructor so that he could train Arya with the sword she calls Needle.¡±


    ¡°I heard it from Owen,¡± Torrhen said.


    ¡°Did I make the right decision in letting my daughter learn how to use the sword?¡± his father asked.


    ¡°It was the right decision you made,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°It¡¯s best that she learns to defend herself, one never knows what might happen in the future. Maybe the training you provided to her might end up saving her life.¡±


    ¡°I hope that she never even come into a situation where she has to lift a sword,¡± Ned said.


    Silence filled the room then. But the thing about Jon was bugging Torrhen so he asked him, ¡°Why did you let Jon join the Night¡¯s Watch father?¡±


    ¡°He wanted to,¡± Ned said, in a manner that made Torrhen think that he had thought of a reason to tell if anyone asked. ¡°And serving in the Night¡¯s Watch might bring him honor and a station far greater than if he were to serve in Winterfell?¡±


    ¡°Jon¡¯s a naive fool, father,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°You are not. You know the state in which the Night¡¯s Watch is. They have been on the decline for almost the past three hundred years ever since the Targaryens united the Seven Kingdoms.¡±


    ¡°There are men of honor among them,¡± Ned said. ¡°Lord Commander Mormont, your uncle Benjen, there are more men, and the North unlike the rest still considers serving in the Black as an honor.¡±


    ¡°Still this is Jon we are talking about,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°He is still fifteen, he should have grown more before he was even given the right to choose the Black. What if he comes to resent you father? That you had sent your own son to the wall knowing the truth about it.¡±


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    Ned¡¯s face turned cold. But Torrhen could see through the hurt and sadness behind the tough exterior. There was something that his father didn¡¯t want him to know about Jon. He was hiding something important related to Jon. ¡°I do not care if he resents me. I let him go to the wall for his own sake, once he joins the Night¡¯s Watch and dons the Black Cloak then he will know. Enough talk about Jon.¡±


    His father had a way of dealing with his sadness. Some cried, but when his father was sad, he would set his face in a manner that was considered as cold. His father¡¯s face was most of the time Cold. This was the way that he dealt when he was reminded of his family that had died before Torrhen had born.


    ¡°Do you miss them?¡± Torrhen asked. ¡°Grandfather Rickard, Uncle Brandon, and Aunt Lyanna?¡±


    Ned¡¯s face showed a bit of surprise. ¡°Yes,¡± he said after some time. ¡°I still do after all these years.¡±


    That awkward silence came back. After some excruciating time someone knocked on the door and entered the solar.


    ¡°My lord hand,¡± Cleyton said to father before turning to Torrhen. ¡°I found her.¡±


    ¡°Where is she?¡± Ned asked and Torrhen rose up from his seat.


    ¡°She is waiting outside,¡± Cleyton said. ¡°There is another matter of importance.¡± He came close to Torrhen and whispered to him. ¡°I met with Yoren on the way, the black brother we shared a fire with, the one who recruits for the Nights Watch. He has ridden with haste and asked me to arrange a meeting with your father as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°We knew the news would break any day,¡± Torrhen whispered to Cleyton. ¡°Bring him in. Father needs to hear it.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± his father asked as Cleyton went out the door.


    ¡°Yoren, a black brother, wants to speak to you as soon as possible,¡± Torrhen said.


    Ned put the glass down. ¡°My door is always open to the Night¡¯s Watch.¡±


    Cleyton entered after Yoren closing the door behind him.


    ¡°My lord hand,¡± Yoren said. He turned to Torrhen, ¡°You have grown, Stark, since the last time I saw you.¡±


    Torrhen smiled. ¡°I hope my brother and uncle are doing well, Yoren.¡±


    ¡°No one knows what happened to Benjen after he went on a ranging across the Wall, but your brother is doing well enough the last time I saw him.¡± He turned back to Ned. ¡°For the sake of my black brother Benjen, and Jon, I have ridden to reach you before the others did. Even turned my horse lame.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Ned said.


    ¡°It¡¯s best if I tell it to you without an audience my lord.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°I will check up on Arya. Meet me afterwards, Yoren, I will buy you a drink and you can tell me about events at the Wall.¡±


    Yoren nodded.


    ¡°Thank you for finding my daughter, Ser Cleyton,¡± Ned said. ¡°Torrhen, take Arya to bed. I will speak with her tomorrow.¡±


    Torrhen and Cleyton nodded and left the room.


    ¡°You need to talk with your sister,¡± Cleyton said as soon as they were out of the room. ¡°She has quite the story to tell, though most of it is jumbled and does not make sense.¡±


    Torrhen nodded. ¡°Double the guards on father and the Hand¡¯s tower. Hire some trusted men too for the mansion. Tell our men to stay alert from now onwards, things might turn into a fight. We need to prepare for it. I don¡¯t want the men to be surprised when an attack takes place. Until things cool down there is no other choice. Come meet me after you relay the instructions.¡±


    Cleyton left with a nod.


    Torrhen found Arya with Owen and the Direwolves.


    Arya¡¯s clothes and face were dirty. She looked more like a commoner than the Hand¡¯s daughter.


    ¡°Looks like you went on quite an adventure beyond the gates of the Castle, my dear sister,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°You could have asked me to take you with me, if you wanted to leave the castle to visit the city.¡±


    Arya slammed into him and hugged him. ¡°I didn¡¯t go out the gates,¡± she blurted. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t mean to. I was down in the dungeons, only they turned into this tunnel. It was all dark, and I didn¡¯t have a torch or a candle to see by, so I had to follow. I couldn¡¯t go back the way I came on account of the monsters. Torrhen, they were talking about killing father! Not the monsters, the two men. They didn¡¯t see me, I was being still as stone and quiet as a shadow, but I heard them. They said father had a book and a bastard and if one Hand could die, why not a second? Jon¡¯s the bastard, I bet.¡±


    ¡°Killing father?¡± Torrhen said. ¡°Did they mention Father¡¯s name Arya?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t remember,¡± Arya said. ¡°They talked about a Hand dying, and the new one dying too.¡±


    ¡°Who said this?¡± Torrhen asked.


    ¡°They did,¡± she told him. ¡°There was a fat one with rings and a forked yellow beard, and another in mail and a steel cap, and the fat one said they had to delay but the other one told him he couldn¡¯t keep juggling and the wolf and the lion were going to eat each other and it was a mummer¡¯s farce. The fat one said the princess was with child. The one in the steel cap, he had the torch, he said that they had to hurry. I think he was a wizard.¡±


    Whoever Arya was speaking about, it looks like they knew about the way things stood between Lannisters and Starks. The Princess they were talking about must have been Daenerys Targaryen, he had received word from his information network that she was married to a Dothraki horse lord, Khal Drogo, in Essos. There was no way that she could survive among the Dothraki for too long, they were tough, and this Princess Daenerys was probably sheltered.


    This men they had something to do with the previous hands and are planning to do something with Father.¡±


    ¡°Where did you hear this, Arya?¡± he said.


    ¡°I told you, it was in the dungeons, by the place with the secret wall. I was chasing cats, and well ¡­¡± She screwed up her face. ¡°¡­ I knocked over Prince Tommen.¡±


    Torrhen laughed. ¡°And why did you do that?¡±


    ¡°Tommen and Myrcella came across me as I was catching cats. They thought I was some serving boy, and I didn¡¯t want Septa Mordane and Sansa know that I was chasing after cats, so I ran from there when a Septa with them asked the guards to catch me. I ran and then knocked into him. Then I went in this window. That¡¯s where I found the monsters.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± he said. ¡°Do not tell this to father.¡±


    ¡°Is he angry with me?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s worried and might get a bit angry,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°But don¡¯t worry I will talk to him. Can you show me the way you went through to get to the dungeons.¡±


    Torrhen had read about these tunnels in a book written by a maester. There was a King named Maegor who had ordered tunnels to be built during the construction of the red keep. After it was built, he had killed all the builder to keep it a secret. The tunnels she must have gone through must be the same tunnels that Maegor had built.


    Torrhen followed her as she led the way. Owen was left behind with the direwolves so that they did not attract attention as Torrhen searched for the tunnels.

 Chapter 22: The Plot to kill Dany

    Torrhen stood back from the small council table, leaning on the wall behind where Ned Stark sat, listening to the men argue. King Robert had taken Torrhen¡¯s place on the table, parting from his carnal pleasures to attend to the matters of the realm.


    The Targaryen Princess Daenerys was with child. Word had reached Varys from Jorah Mormont, and now the King and the small council were arguing on what to do. And they were all set on murdering her before she gave birth to the baby. All except his father, obviously, and Ser Barristan.


    Torrhen kept his emotions on the matter in check. It would not do to lose the Kings favor when Ned was already a very well job of doing it. His father would never approve of the assassination. Torrhen had heard about the last time a similar situation had occurred years ago, with the children of Rhaegar and Elia.


    Ned didn¡¯t take it lightly then. Now with a chance to prevent it, he would never agree to it.


    ¡°I will not be part of murder, Robert,¡± Ned said. ¡°Do as you will, but do not ask me to fix my seal to it.¡±


    Robert¡¯s eyes narrowed and a flush crept up his neck past the velvet collar. He pointed an angry finger at Ned. ¡°You are the King¡¯s Hand, Lord Stark. You will do as I command you, or I¡¯ll find me a Hand who will.¡±


    ¡°I wish him every success.¡± Ned unfastened the heavy clasp that clutched at the folds of his cloak, the ornate silver hand that was his badge of office. He laid it on the table in front of the king. ¡°I thought you a better man than this, Robert. I thought we had made a nobler king.¡±


    Robert¡¯s face was purple. ¡°Out,¡± he croaked, choking on his rage. ¡°Out, damn you, I¡¯m done with you. What are you waiting for? Go, run back to Winterfell. And make certain I never look on your face again, or I swear, I¡¯ll have your head on a spike!¡±


    Ned strode out, and Torrhen followed beside him. Winter rose up and lead the way to the Hand¡¯s tower. Winter could never keep his emotions in check as well as Torrhen did, so Torrhen had left him outside the chamber.


    When they reached the Hand¡¯s solar, Torrhen closed the door and began when they had taken their seats. ¡°We have the King¡¯s permission to leave, father.¡± Torrhen lowered his voice. ¡°Have Vayon Poole book us a way out of this city in a week. While the eyes on us notice that, I will book us another way out of this city, far more discreetly. We must leave soon before word spreads of Tyrion, it has already reached King¡¯s Landing. It is only a matter of time before it reaches the Lannisters.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°How did you know?¡± Ned asked, surprised, the anger with the King fleeing from him.


    ¡°I had sent one of my friends along to escort mother, from a distance, to Winterfell. And with him, I sent Red, one of my hawks.¡±


    ¡°Hawk. Why didn¡¯t you tell me of this when word reached you?¡±


    ¡°I was gonna tell you in time. I had to take measures so that we are safe.¡±


    ¡°What measures?¡±


    ¡°I hired extra men within the city in case the Lannisters give us trouble. I don¡¯t trust anyone here, not even the King¡¯s own small council members. They look to profit from every single thing they do, to what end I do not know. But I do know when I am being dragged around by strings like a puppet, and we have been dragged around like that since before we reached King¡¯s Landing. I don¡¯t want to stay here any longer than necessary. Give me word and we can be out of King¡¯s landing by evening.¡±


    Ned was deep in thought. ¡°Yes. Do it. We will leave first with a few guardsmen; the rest will follow when they are ready.¡±


    Torrhen nodded. Then a thought crossed him, and he had to know what his father would do. ¡°What about the girl? Are you going to let Robert kill her?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do anything now.¡± Ned sighed, when he looked at the distaste his son bore on his face. ¡°Robert is not that kind of man¡­ at least he wasn¡¯t. Now I do not know who he is anymore. If I had more time when he has cooled down, then maybe I could have changed his mind.¡±


    Torrhen doubted that. The King was a huge disappointment to him, nothing the stories his father had told him when he was young.


    ¡°What if I had a way to warn the Targaryen Princess or stop it altogether,¡± Torrhen said.


    Ned¡¯s face showed the conflict between honor to his oath to the King and doing what was right. ¡°That would amount to treason. The King has ordered her death.¡±


    For a moment Torrhen was afraid of the answer Ned would give.


    Ned nodded. ¡°Do it. Maybe after some time has passed, Robert will come to regret it and cancel the assassination. How will you protect her?¡±


    Torrhen relaxed. ¡°I have my ways, father. I will send a trusted friend to her. I had to find my own path in the world, after I renounced all my claims to Winterfell and the north. And I have made many friends and connections along my travels.¡±


    ¡°I never understood,¡± Ned said, his face soft with a father¡¯s face, ¡°why you don¡¯t want to be a lord with your own keep in the North, Torrhen.¡±


    Torrhen smiled. ¡°I like my freedom more, father. Becoming a lord means obligations, homage, compromises, and a whole lot of kneeling. And I made an oath that I would never kneel. So you understand. I will make the preparations; get the girls ready to leave.¡±


    Torrhen left the solar. As he was going down the steps Petyr Baelish passed him by, wanting to have a word with Ned. He would have stayed behind to hear what he had to say about, if not for the urgency of finding a ship to get them to safety out of King¡¯s Landing.

 Chapter 23: Roberts Bastard Daughter and Kindness

    Torrhen¡¯s jaw tightened as he listened to his father speak to the girl with a babe in her hands.


    He was angry for more than a single reason. The Starks with the Pack and a few guards should have been already on their way home. They were supposed to have left King¡¯s Landing on a ship that would have taken them to White Harbor.


    Instead Ned and Torrhen Stark with a few guards and Winter were visiting the brothel run by Chataya, all because of Petyr Baelish. Torrhen had tried to convince his father to let it be but he would not budge on it, he delayed the departure so that he could find whatever reason Jon Arryn and Stannis Baratheon visited Chataya¡¯s together. Two of the most unlikely people to ever visit a place such as a brothel.


    Littlefinger¡¯s timing was suspect. He had found the brothel that Ned was searching for just as they were about to leave. Torrhen had kept an eye on Littlefinger the entire way, and all he gave back was that harmless thin lipped smile that looked anything but harmless.


    Some of the better brothels could always find a virgin, if the purse was fat enough. He had heard about such things before. But never in person had he seen a girl so young, that it boiled Torrhen¡¯s blood in rage towards Robert more than ever before.


    She had light red hair and a powdering of freckles across the bridge of her nose, and she slipped free a breast to give her nipple to the babe. ¡°I named her Barra,¡± she said as the child nursed. ¡°She looks so like him, does she not, milord? She has his nose, and his hair ¡­¡±


    ¡°She does.¡± Ned touched the baby¡¯s fine, dark hair.


    Torrhen had visited the Vale once a few years ago. He had seen Robert¡¯s rumored firstborn, a girl named Mya Stone who had guided him to the top of the Eyrie on mules, and she also had the same fine black hair, he seemed to recall.


    ¡°Tell him that when you see him, milord, as it ¡­ as it please you. Tell him how beautiful she is.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± Ned promised her.


    ¡°And tell him I¡¯ve not been with no one else. I swear it, milord, by the old gods and new. Chataya said I could have half a year, for the baby, and for hoping he¡¯d come back. So you¡¯ll tell him I¡¯m waiting, won¡¯t you? I don¡¯t want no jewels or nothing, just him. He was always good to me, truly.¡±


    Good to you, Torrhen thought hollowly.


    ¡°I will tell him, child,¡± Ned said, ¡°and I promise you, Barra shall not go wanting.¡±


    His father would tell Robert definitely as he promised the girl. Ned Stark would keep his vows, always. But what good will it do, Robert would soon forget a moment later.


    To think that a man like Robert had been once betrothed to aunt Lyanna. If there was a chance that aunt Lyanna had known about Robert¡¯s true nature, it would not be too much of a leap to assume that a woman as fierce as his father recalled her to be, to have run away with Prince Rhaegar rather than be married to a man like Robert.


    Did Rhaegar ever visit brothels? Torrhen thought. According to the stories he had heard in his journeys, Rhaegar had been well loved by the people and was still fondly remembered to this day. The only blemish was that for some reason aunt Lyanna was abducted by Rhaegar, an entire rebellion was triggered by this abduction and led to the entire Targaryen dynasty¡¯s downfall.


    Come to think of it, his father had never spoken a bad word of Rhaegar to Torrhen or his siblings.


    There must be more to the story but Ned seldom spoke of those times to his children. Torrhen had sensed always when he was younger that his father greatly missed his family that had died during the rebellion. Lyanna, especially. He would sometimes smile when he spoke of her, her wild nature, training with the sword, riding a horse and her love for blue flowers.


    The girl smiled then, a smile so tremulous and sweet that it cut the heart out of him.


    Ned left the room but Torrhen stayed back. Sometimes a person must know the truth even if it will hurt them. He doubted anyone would tell the truth to the girl before she would have learned of it in time, when it would be too late to do anything to save themselves. None would do so, especially Chataya, when she may stand to gain something, even with the slightest chance that the King would come back for his bastard daughter. So he had to be the one to break the girl¡¯s heart so that she was better prepared for whatever may come.


    For winter is coming.


    When he approached the girl, he saw that her bosom was freckled as well. ¡°Robert will never come, girl.¡±


    She began to speak with concern on her face, ¡°But¡­¡±


    Torrhen crushed that false hope. ¡°He will never come, even to see his bastard daughter. He will never care for you nor the babe. No doubt, he already has slept with countless other prostitutes and has already forgotten about you after the first or second one after you.¡±


    ¡°Barra, at least for his daughter¡­¡± The girl cried as she looked in uncertainty at the babe suckling at her breast. The smile she had when she spoke of her daughter, long gone.


    Torrhen knelt in front of her and took her hand. He checked the room once more, they were still alone. He said in a low voice, ¡°If you truly love and care for your Barra, you will leave Kingslanding as soon as possible. You have already received too much attention from the King¡¯s own brother and two of his Hands, for me to have some concern for your¡¯s and the babe¡¯s future. Lords and Ladies can sometimes be as cruel as to kill even a child for the sake of their intrigues at court. They do not care much for the lives of smallfolk such as your Barra. So it is not safe for you or the babe here. We found you, so it would not be so hard for those whose intent is to harm you to send someone to kill you.¡±


    The girl was now afraid for her and her babe¡¯s life.


    He placed a pouch, filled with Golden Dragons into her hand. All the wealth he had in his hand at the moment, not that he cared much for the coins. ¡°Take this. This will provide for you for a few years if you spend it wisely. Trust no one, and do not tell anyone where you are going, who you are, or who the father of Barra is. Wear a cloak and run away from Chataya¡¯s some time after we leave. Take a ship to Braavos today itself, look for purple sails of a Braavosi trading ships.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°And remember what I tell you next very carefully.¡± She nodded eagerly, at the chance of a new life presented to her, away from the danger she had not known existed but a moment before. ¡°When you get to Braavos, ask for directions and go directly to the Iron Bank. Do not be intimidated by anything or anyone in there. You stand your ground and ask for an audience with Lady Veronica Silvo. Can you remember what I am saying?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the girl said. ¡°I must go to the Iron Bank in Braavos and ask for Lady Veronica Silvo.¡±


    Torrhen gave her a reassuring nod. ¡°Tell Lady Veronica Silvo that a wolf from the North sent you.¡± A smile crept onto his lips as he recalled memories of Vera. ¡°Tell her that I am sorry for the fight we had last time. Tell her that I miss her kind green eyes ¡­ that I still love her regardless of the words we had exchanged the last time. Tell her that I will come to her soon.¡±


    Torrhen remembered the last time he had talked to Vera and the smile went off as quickly as it had come. They had fought badly over the different views they had on marriage and children.


    He was young when he fell in love with the first woman in his life. He had not thought of neither marriage nor children but only the love they had shared. Torrhen was a simple man, all he wanted was to share his love without restraints, be free to pursue his thirst for passion and adventure, and never set up roots in one place that would snag him there.


    But Vera was the last of her house Silvo. A mighty house within Braavos that was wealthy, influential, and held a good amount of shares of the Iron Bank.


    She had saved him twice, all without knowing who he was or where he had come from.


    The first time, they had met by chance, she had shown kindness to a penniless, sick, starving Westorosi kid who lay near the canals, too weak to even move. She was but two years older than him, but from the barge they were traveling, she had commanded her father¡¯s man to carry Torrhen to a healer and provided enough coin to feed and house him for the coming days until he was well enough. Though his mind was addled at the time by the sickness, he could not forget her kind and gentle face nor the first few letters of her name, ¡®Vero.¡¯


    Torrhen wanted to pay her back for the kindness that she had shown to him. But in a city unknown to him at the time and the language and customs he was ignorant of, it was almost impossible.


    He did find her after a few moons, when he walked Braavos like he was born there and spoke Braavosi as good as a local, but she was beyond his reach behind the walls of her manse that he could never hope to cross because of her highborn status.


    By the time he had found who and where she was, he worked in the House of Black and White. He was allowed no possessions of his own, so he had nothing to give to her in return for saving his life. His identity as a Stark, he was already shedding as an apprentice to the faceless men to become No One.


    But Vera was often a subject of his dreams. She remained in his mind, while he had willfully pushed everything about Westeros and himself deep down into his mind. He found that he was unable to forget about her no matter what he did. She had saved a Stark of Winterfell unknowingly, and that, he could never forget.


    Believing that he had to do something for her in return, one day when he couldn¡¯t take it any longer, Torrhen sneaked into the Manse where she had lived.


    His intrusion upon her room was a bit chaotic until Torrhen had gotten the chance to explain the reason for his presence. Then Vera had started laughing madly, he had been concerned until she had explained the reason for her mad relief.


    She had thought that a faceless man had come to kill her in her sleep. She was the last of her house; her parents had died a moon ago in an accident, and she had feared that the rival houses were making moves against House Silvo for their wealth and shares of the Iron Bank. When things had calmed down, Torrhen asked a wish that she had wanted to see fulfilled, that even death wouldn¡¯t stop him from fulfilling her wish, for she had saved his life and he was honor bound to fulfill whatever she had in mind.


    Vera had found his vow and sense of honor, cute. Torrhen found offense in that and insisted upon a quest that he could complete.


    Vera had smiled and announced that she had no wishes right then, and to come back a fortnight later. She had no quest to give him when he had come back, but she had been prepared for his second arrival. She had set up a table filled with meals and wine to feast upon while she had questioned him, trying to uncover the mystery behind the mask that Torrhen had built up in the House of Black and White. His answers never satisfied whatever her unusual interest she had in him, and he had to come back every fortnight to seek and complete a quest that Vera would never grant him.


    A year had passed by then, and that smile had chipped away at his stone heart until she had revived it back to life. Then she had stolen part of his own heart from him forever. Saving him the second time, from losing himself and his identity as Torrhen Stark, son of Eddard and Catelyn Tully Stark.


    The last time he had met Vera, she had insisted upon her intention to marry Torrhen and have children with him, so that her family line could continue. Torrhen was afraid that he would never keep to his marriage vows nor be a good enough father to his children, so he had refused vehemently. But Vera did not care if he found lovers on the side nor did she want him tied up in Braavos as her husband, all she had wanted was to have children with the man she had loved.


    Torrhen did not know if he would have fulfilled her wishes if she had demanded it of him. She still had that one wish she could ask him of, but she was too kind to even consider using it to force him.


    After they had fought, they had made love and reconciled, but he had ran away from her under the cover of moonlight and avoided going back to Braavos for the past year. He had missed her greatly but now that he had grown up enough to confront the matter with Vera, he considered going back to her for the first time. After all, how hard could it be raising a child, when he had raised a lunk like Winter.


    Coming back to the present, Torrhen closed the girl¡¯s hand over the pouch. ¡°Always keep it hidden. Never bring out the pouch before others. Men have killed for far less before.¡±


    ¡°I will, milord. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I am not a lord,¡± he said, smiling at her. ¡°I abhor lordship responsibilities with a passion. Call me Torrhen.¡±


    The girl blushed a little as she averted her eyes from his. ¡°Thank you, Torrhen.¡±


    He kissed her on the forehead and left the room.


    His father waited at the base of the stairs, a question on his face as he watched Torrhen approach. Jory stood beside a rain-streaked window as Heward and Wyl went to get the horses. Winter was enjoying the attention he was getting from a fearless wench, as she petted him warily with a stiff hand, a smile of disbelief on her face.


    Littlefinger said his farewells to Chataya, kissing her hand and eliciting laughter from her with a joke before he sauntered over to where Ned and Torrhen stood. ¡°Your business,¡± he said lightly, ¡°or Robert¡¯s? They say the Hand dreams the king¡¯s dreams, speaks with the king¡¯s voice, and rules with the king¡¯s sword. Does that also mean you fuck with the king¡¯s¡ª¡±


    Torrhen punched him in the face. And it felt damn good to let out the anger he held in, Littlefinger did own a few brothels after all, from the information he had gathered, and it would not have been right to let his anger out on Chataya.


    ¡°The direwolf must be a prickly beast,¡± said Littlefinger flexing his mouth as he held onto the wall for balance and smirked at him.


    ¡°Take care before you decide to mock my family once more, Lord Baelish,¡± Torrhen said as he put on his black cloak and gloves. ¡°This is the final warning. I won¡¯t hold back the next time.¡±


    Ned was not happy with the way Torrhen had behaved but neither did he raise a complaint.


    Torrhen called Winter after him, who now stood on his four legs with a menacing look at Littlefinger, the wench who had been petting him placed herself as far away from him as possible at witnessing a bit of the wolf¡¯s wild nature.


    Standing at the door, he said to the wench, ¡°I would not pet Winter in my absence again if I were you. Though he is civilized and well behaved, he still is a Direwolf. If he senses something amiss for one reason or another with someone he is not too familiar with, he would rip his throat out before any one can do something about it.¡±


    And then the two wolfs strode to stand out in the rain to cool the heated tempers raging in their hearts as Wyl handed him the reins to his horse. He led the way with Winter beside him while the others followed in his wake, for the other horses feared Winter more than anything. For rarely did ever predators mingled among prey as calmly as the two black wolves.

 Chapter 24: A Bloody Massacre on the Streets of Kingslanding

    Torrhen rode on ahead of the main party. He gave quiet praises to his stallion for staying calm beside Winter.


    The smallfolk took shelter from the onslaught of rain that cleared the muck and smell of the wastes from the empty streets. The rain spattering onto the cobblestones muffled out the conversation Littlefinger and Ned were having about royal bastards. Torrhen had underestimated Robert.


    The rain was falling harder, now. The air smelled fresh and of cold rain. Different from the usual smell of shit that Kings landing used to reek of. Winter loved it and the cold bought back the feeling of the North back to both of them.


    Halfway to the Red Keep, Winter suddenly stopped in his tracks. He let out a low snarl. Torrhen could feel Winter¡¯s caution of danger in his mind, and he felt his heart flutter.


    Torrhen stopped and examined his surroundings. He whistled, and Winter let out a howl into the sky.


    He felt Lady¡¯s response from the Red Keep.


    ¡°Come, Winter.¡± Torrhen strode back to the main party. He looked his father in the eye and said, ¡°Follow me. Everyone. Quick!¡±


    The group turned without protest, except for Littlefinger who wanted to say something, but Torrhen didn¡¯t give him the chance.


    Winter let out another snarl after a few paces from where they turned back.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Torrhen hissed, halting and turning once more.


    Ned moved closer and held onto Torrhen¡¯s arm. ¡°What is happening?¡±


    ¡°We are surrounded,¡± he said. ¡°The damn rain hid them from Winter¡¯s senses until it was too late.¡±


    ¡°They are still hidden, my lord,¡± Jory said quickly to Ned. ¡°If we make a charge for it¡ª¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°We don¡¯t know how many they are, where they are or what they have hidden for us. We need more time until my Pack gets here. We have to delay, no matter what. Keep your swords ready but sheathed until I say so.¡±


    ¡°How can they come to us without knowing that something¡¯s amiss?¡± Heward said as the Northmen strode closer to their liege lord.


    Torrhen didn¡¯t reply for he was thinking. They were four fighting men and a Direwolf, without including Littlefinger. And they were mounted with horses. A small group, but Torrhen had Ice strapped to his back and Winter with him, those two alone significantly increased their chances, not to mention the presence of Torrhen himself. Though he hoped that it would never come to that. Taking the life of a man filled him with such emotions that the darkness in him clamored for more, even as he did everything to suppress it.


    Taking another man¡¯s life scared him more than anything. Not for what he did to others, but because of what those acts did to him after he had done it. Torrhen had never shown that side to his family and vowed never to on fear that his father might disown him.


    That was when Jory called out, ¡°My lord!¡± his voice hoarse with alarm. In an instant, the street was full of soldiers.


    Torrhen moved himself to the front while Winter took up the rear. He glimpsed ring mail over leathers, gauntlets and greaves, steel helms with golden lions on the crests. Their cloaks clung to their backs, sodden with rain. A quick glance told Torrhen that there were twelve men, blocking the street, with long swords and iron-tipped spears. ¡°Behind!¡± he heard Wyl cry and Winter howled once more. Over his shoulder, he saw ten more men cutting off their retreat. Jory¡¯s sword came singing from its scabbard. ¡°Make way or die!¡±


    ¡°The wolves are howling,¡± their leader said. Torrhen could see rain running down his face. ¡°Such a small pack, though.¡±


    Torrhen didn¡¯t move from where he stood. He removed the cloak and let it fall to the streets, big drops of rain spattering onto him. ¡°Jory. Sheathe your sword.¡± He didn¡¯t look back to see whether the captain obeyed the command or not.


    Littlefinger walked his horse forward, step by careful step. ¡°What is the meaning of this? This is the hand of the King.¡±


    ¡°He was the Hand of the King.¡± The mud muffled the hooves of the blood bay stallion. The line parted before him. On a golden breastplate, the lion of Lannister reared its defiance. ¡°Now, if truth be told, I¡¯m not sure what he is.¡±


    ¡°Lannister, this is madness,¡± Littlefinger said, and Torrhen let him talk. A few minutes could be a matter of life and death to them now. ¡°Let us pass. We are expected back at the castle. What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±


    ¡°He knows what he¡¯s doing,¡± Ned said calmly behind him.


    Jamie Lannister smiled. ¡°Quite true. I¡¯m looking for my brother. You remember my brother, don¡¯t you, Lord Stark? He was with us at Winterfell. Fair-haired, mismatched eyes, sharp of tongue. A short man.¡±


    ¡°I remember him well,¡± Ned replied.


    ¡°It would seem he has met some trouble on the road. My lord father is quite vexed. You would not perchance have any notion of who might have wished my brother ill, would you?¡±


    ¡°Your brother has been taken at my command, to answer for his crimes,¡± Ned Stark said.


    Littlefinger groaned in dismay. ¡°My lords¡ª¡±


    Ser Jamie ripped his longsword from its sheath and urged his stallion forward. ¡°Show me your steel, Lord Eddard. I¡¯ll butcher you like Aerys if I must, but I¡¯d sooner you died with a blade in your hand.¡± He gave little finger a cool, contemptuous glance. ¡°Lord Baelish, I¡¯d leave here in some haste if I did not care to get bloodstains on my costly clothing.¡±


    Littlefinger did not need to be urged. ¡°I will bring the City Watch,¡± he promised Ned and Torrhen. The Lannister line parted to let him through, and closed behind him. Littlefinger put his heels to his mare and vanished around a corner.


    Eyes watched from nearby windows and doors, but no one was about to intervene. A charge might win them free but not without a cost that Torrhen was willing to pay. Before the men behind drew their swords, Torrhen spoke loudly, calculating for future consequences, so that even those in the houses could hear him speak. ¡°Your brother, Tyrion Lannister, stands accused of attempting to kill my brother Bran Stark! He sent a catspaw to my bedridden brother to finish the deed. And the vile assassin hurt my Lady mother, Catelyn Stark, when she tried to protect her child. Had it not been for Bran¡¯s Direwolf they would have been dead now. The Catspaw held with him a dagger that led to your brother, Ser Jamie.¡± Torrhen lowered his voice, so that only those near could hear him. ¡°Kill me and my father,¡± he warned to the Kingslayer, ¡°and my mother will most certainly slay Tyrion.¡±


    Jamie Lannister poked at Torrhen¡¯s chest with the gilded sword that had sipped the blood of the last of the Dragonkings. ¡°Would she? The noble Catelyn Tully of Riverrun murder a hostage? I think ¡­ not.¡±


    ¡°You forget, Ser.¡± Torrhen inched his horse forward. The leather he had worn pushing against the blade. ¡°The Tully words are Family, Duty, Honor. Family comes before Honor. And though I have never boasted before,¡± Torrhen gave a thin smile, ¡°mother loves me most amongst her six children.¡±


    Jamie sighed. ¡°I am not willing to chance my brother¡¯s life on a woman¡¯s honor.¡± He slid the golden sword into its sheath. ¡°So I suppose I¡¯ll let you both run back to Robert to tell him how I frightened you. I wonder if he¡¯ll care.¡± Jamie pushed his wet hair back with his fingers and wheeled his horse around. When he was beyond the line of swordsmen, he glanced back at his captain. ¡°Tregar, see that no harm comes to Lord Stark or his son.¡±


    ¡°As you say, m¡¯lord.¡±


    Ser Jamie didn¡¯t speak of Winter nor of the men accompanying them. Torrhen whispered hastily to the men behind him. ¡°Be prepared to charge. Winter and I will create an opening. Follow and don¡¯t stop for anything.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Still ¡­ we wouldn¡¯t want them to leave here entirely unchastened, so¡±¡ªthrough the rain, Torrhen glimpsed the white of Jamie¡¯s smile¡ª¡°kill his men and the beast.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Ned Stark screamed.


    ¡°Swords!¡± Torrhen bellowed, taking Ice from his back.


    Winter rushed to stand beside Torrhen. He bent low, baring his fangs to the red cloaks, he let out a chilling bark that scared men and horses alike. Torrhen had to reach out to calm the horses from bolting away in fear of the Direwolf. Winter bluff-charged twice to test their defenses. The men backed away a step but still held their ground, pointing their spears in Winter¡¯s direction.


    The Lannister men in the rear advanced emboldened by Winter moving to the front, while those in the front were reluctant as Winter threatened them with snarls and growls. Any longer and they would be trapped, behind sword and spear, unable to move.


    ¡°Charge!¡± Torrhen roared out pushing his heels into his horse, enticing the horses they rode on to gallop after the Direwolf.


    Winter rushed onto the red cloaks faster than they could react. Torrhen and Ned on either side of the wolf, charging with their swords out, deflecting any blows from swords or spear.


    Winter vaulted into the air above the steel-pointed tips. The spears moving too slowly to intercept the Direwolf as he fell upon Tregar. He dragged the body by his jaws latched onto the man¡¯s throat as he struggled and failed to slash the wolf with his sword.


    Torrhen tasted the red blood in the Wolf¡¯s mouth, as he used Ice to sever the arm of a red cloak trying to thrust a spear into Winter¡¯s back. Ned charged on ahead as the men gave way for him. Jory Cassel put his heels into his mount and charged. A steel-shod hoof caught a Lannister guardsman in the face with a sickening crunch. A second man reeled away and for an instant Jory was free.


    Torrhen felt Winter¡¯s heart beat with his as one, as he tore Tregar¡¯s throat out. His life flowing away in seconds. And Torrhen knew their lives would never be the same again.


    Red cloaks on either side rushed to close the opening, Winter and the charge had created. Wyl cursed as they pulled him off his dying horse.


    He could not hold back any longer. Not even for his father, not while men died around him. So Torrhen let the rage consume him. His vision turned blood red as he turned back. Torrhen galloped to Wyl. With a simple tugging in his mind, his horse reared, hitting one on the chest with the hooves as Torrhen took off another¡¯s head with a quick swing of Ice. The headless body fell to its knees and slowly tilted forwards onto the ground. Torrhen bought Ice just as quick around to block a spear aimed at his chest.


    Heward was hacking at the hands that had seized his bridle, when a spear caught him in the belly. Winter was already upon the spear man, and this time he didn¡¯t hold back as he did with Tregar. In an instant, Winter had severed the arm holding onto the spear with his jaws like a savage beast, as his claws raked into the red cloak¡¯s chest. Suddenly Jory was back among them, a red rain flying from his sword. He slashed at a man trying to sneak a blow onto Winter from behind his back.


    ¡°No!¡± Ned shouted. ¡°Winter, Jory, away!¡± Ned¡¯s horse slipped under him and came crashing down in the mud.


    Torrhen let out a savage shout. He wanted to go to his father¡¯s side but men were closing in all around them. Wyl was on the ground struggling to rise as Torrhen held off the men from killing him. And Heward lay motionless with a wound to his belly as Jory and Winter struggled to ward off attacks from both sides as they protected the fallen man.


    A spear pierced Torrhen¡¯s mount in his throat, neighing as he fell. Torrhen felt the horse¡¯s pain as he jumped and rolled just before his legs could get trapped by the falling horse. Ice falling from his hands as he tried to brace for the fall.


    Torrhen furiously crawled away as a spear clanged onto the cobblestones where he had just fallen. He held onto the length of the spear and snatched it from the red cloak. His blood lust at a level that he had never experienced before, he swirled the stolen spear in circles deflecting a few blows and aimed the steel tips at the men¡¯s faces, driving them back while one red cloak fell clutching at eyes that weren¡¯t there anymore. Without a care for his own safety, Torrhen lunged with his entire body behind him and threw the spear onto a red cloak, piercing his heart as he tried to cut Jory¡¯s mounts.


    He took Ice from the ground, held onto Wyl¡¯s hand, dragged him from beneath the horse, and threw him behind breathlessly, as his chest heaved at the exertion. ¡°See to father, Wyl,¡± he exclaimed as he held off the thrust of three men.


    Wyl crawled to where Ned fell. Ned¡¯s mount had gotten to its feet but he lay where he fell, unable to move.


    His arm injured by the thrust of a sword, Torrhen screamed in pain. The darkness in him clamored for more blood and lives but Torrhen pushed it away. ¡°Jory! Winter! Fall back!¡± But words were useless as the red cloaks pressed on them.


    Just a few more moments. Torrhen needed to buy a few more moments.


    Torrhen¡¯s mind protested as he commanded his father¡¯s horse to him. With a swing of Ice he pushed the three red cloaks back, and jumped onto the horse. Torrhen let out a scream and charged at the men who dragged Jory to the earth. He lopped off a head of one of the red cloaks who were upon Jory with a single swipe of Ice, and rode onto a man who had put a spear into Winter¡¯s shoulders. A sword bit into his chest from the other side while Torrhen fought off another man. His balance was off as he tried to swerve out of the swords path, and before he knew it, he was on the ground.


    Torrhen raised his hand to block the sword, when Winter moved onto its path and took a wound from an angry Lannister man meant for Torrhen. The Direwolf¡¯s blood fell onto Torrhen¡¯s face, as he stood over him, protectively. A menacing growl on his face regardless of the wounds he had taken.


    Only Winter stood.


    The red cloaks were making their way to the fallen Northerners to finish them off. Slow and warily for only a wounded Direwolf stood while nine red cloaks remained of what once was twenty-one. Torrhen could not tell if Heward was still alive, while the others struggled to even rise due to their injuries. As they closed in around the wolf, Winter too would fall in time.


    Torrhen felt hot tears on his cheek as he staggered to his knees and then onto his feet. The pain of a broken bone in his chest felt like a dagger that stabbed repeatedly under his skin every time he moved. Torrhen raised Ice in challenge and roared, ¡°Come! Die like the rest of them.¡±


    The red cloaks advanced. Torrhen took a step forward when a grey blur flew past him, and smashed into the red cloaks standing against him. The Pack mounted on horses, and led by Ser Cleyton Whyte, rode upon the red cloaks advancing towards Wyl and Ned, and Torrhen. The red cloaks fell back in fear.


    Though the men bought by Cleyton were only five, Alys and Owen and along with three other of his father¡¯s guard. They were enough for him.


    Torrhen raged at the sky and danced alongside Lady and Winter, as a pack, with Ice to take down those that remained.


    There was no mercy shown to those that surrendered pleading for their lives nor to the wounded. Only cold butchery for they would have done the same to his men and Winter if it were not for the Pack and Lady.


    The same fearful eyes watched from houses as Torrhen met out justice on the very street. Owen held them down as Torrhen executed them with Ice. None escaped but Jamie, and he doubted Robert would allow to pursue justice against the Kingslayer.


    He recalled the experiences he had felt in the fight. Today was different, Torrhen thought. The darkness had not come with force as it had before, though he still felt its presence. This time, Torrhen was in control of himself throughout the fight, and he had killed men without feeling those wrong feelings that he had felt before.


    Maybe Winter had something to do with it. This was the first time he had killed since he had found Winter. They called the Direwolves a gift from the old gods. Did the old gods send him to protect Torrhen from himself. If so, he was grateful for it, but he still held his doubts about the gods. It was more likely that he was a pawn for their grand schemes and machinations.


    Lady and Winter were licking each other¡¯s wounds sitting beside Ned, on the carriage that Cleyton had found to carry him back to the Hand¡¯s Tower where Torrhen could start treating him. In another carriage, lay Wyl and Jory, too wounded to ride and Heward¡¯s dead body. The spear was fatal and had likely taken his life moments after.


    Torrhen said to the Gold Cloaks that arrived just as they were leaving, ¡°Give the bodies of the red cloaks to the silent sisters. They must have families. Send word to the Lannisters.¡± Though the Gold cloaks didn¡¯t want nothing to do with it, they did not protest.


    Owen said as they rode back to the Red Keep, ¡°Now what?¡±


    Torrhen held onto his chest and looked to Cleyton. ¡°Get us into the Hand¡¯s tower and barricade the entrances with double the guard. Until father is awake and well. We will do nothing but wait. Though the Lannisters ambushed us, all of them are now dead except for Ser Jamie Lannister. The Queen will no doubt twist the narrative. We must be ahead of it.¡±


    ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± Cleyton asked.


    ¡°We must spread the word,¡± Torrhen looked to the sky. ¡°By the time father wakes up, I want the knowledge of the Lannister treachery, the breaking of the guest rights when they had visited Winterfell, Brans¡¯ fall and murder attempt, and my lady mother¡¯s wounds when she tried to protect her son. And how Bran¡¯s Direwolf saved both their lives.¡± Torrhen thought for a moment. Then decided to go with it. He would not be the first one to use religion for their own needs. He can pretend however long if it meant the Direwolves were safe. ¡°And spread the myth that the Direwolves are a gift from the Old Gods themselves, sent to the Starks to protect them. I want the smallfolk to see today¡¯s massacre as a heroic story of the Direwolves doing everything to save the lives of me and my father. I want public opinion to favor us, if not the Direwolves will never be safe from this day onwards. Not when they can see for themselves what the Direwolves can do.¡±


    ¡°It shall be done,¡± Cleyton said. ¡°I will get to it after you are safe behind the walls of the tower. It will not be hard to move public opinion in favor of us. Your free food centers across Kings landing would gladly help us. A few singers bought for to sing in the ale houses and wine sinks. And there are some within the Gold Cloaks who favor the Starks and you. Together, I can have all of Kings landing sing a song. But¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°A good story needs a villain. The Imp and the Kingslayer, if we portray them in a manner that benefits us.¡±


    ¡°You mean to vilify the both of them?¡± Torrhen asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Cleyton said. ¡°The story might be easier to swallow. Or else it will appear forced.¡±


    ¡°Do it,¡± Torrhen said, feeling heavy with exhaustion. ¡°After today, I won¡¯t hold back if they keep pushing.¡±

 Chapter 25: The Aftermath

    Torrhen rubbed the sweat off his father¡¯s face with a warm wet cloth has he opened his eyes.


    ¡°Father,¡± Torrhen said as he stood over Ned.


    ¡°Torrhen¡­ how ¡­ how long?¡± Ned asked.


    ¡°Six days and seven nights.¡± Torrhen took a cup filled with water and bought it to Ned¡¯s lips. ¡°Drink some water, father. You must be thirsty.¡±


    Ned drank. Vayon Poole stepped forward. ¡°The King left orders,¡± he said when the cup was empty. ¡°He would speak with you, my lord.¡±


    ¡°On the morrow,¡± Ned said. ¡°When I am stronger.¡±


    ¡°My lord,¡± Poole said, ¡°he commanded us to send you to him the moment you opened your eyes.¡±


    ¡°Father has just woken up,¡± Torrhen said, ¡°and he needs to rest. The King can come here if he wants to see my lord father, Poole. And could you send for Cleyton.¡±


    ¡°It has been six days,¡± Ned said. ¡°I must know how things stand.¡±


    ¡°Things are a mess father,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°The Kingslayer has fled the city. The talk is he has ridden to Casterly Rock to join his father. The story of how mother took the Tyrion is on every lip, and I took precautions to ensure that they also know of Tyrion¡¯s involvement in pushing Bran from the Tower. I had the Hand¡¯s tower closed off, and I have added some of my men so that the tower is guarded at all times. I didn¡¯t want take any chances, not since the Kingslayer ambushed us in the streets.¡±


    ¡°The girls?¡±


    ¡°They have been there with you every day, father,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°Sansa prays quietly, but Arya has not said a word since we came back. I have never seen such anger in her before. I thought to send them home, but I didn¡¯t want to make any decisions until you were awake.¡±


    ¡°Whatever happens,¡± Ned said, ¡°I want your sisters kept safe. I fear this is only the beginning.¡±


    ¡°No harm will come to them as long as I am here, father.¡±


    ¡°Jory, Winter and the others¡­¡±


    ¡°Heward¡¯s dead. Jory and Wyl are alive but they both have suffered injuries in the fight.¡± Winter barked and licked Ned¡¯s face. Torrhen pulled him back and rubbed his head. ¡°As you can see, Winter is okay. He did take a few blows but he is fine and back to his old self.


    ¡°And there is something else you must know,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°The Queen claims that we attacked her brother Jaimie and murdered the red cloaks on the streets. And she is demanding the King that we pay for what we did. I doubt the King believes that but only one of our men is dead while none of the men Jaime sent after us live.¡±


    Torrhen looked away from his father. ¡°I was enraged that they were going to kill Winter. I was not thinking straight, I ¡­ killed everyone still left alive after Cleyton came with the guards. And now the Queen is claiming that Winter and I have turned rabid and wants his skin along with mine.¡±


    ¡°Robert will not do anything to you or Winter.¡±


    ¡°I know he was your friend, father. But he is not the same man now. He didn¡¯t send men after Jamie to bring him to justice and I am sure that he has heard of what Tyrion did to Bran. And what does he do? Nothing. If he tries to hurt Winter, I won¡¯t hesitate to strike back, father.¡±


    Vayon Poole returned. The steward bowed low. ¡°His Grace is without, my lord, and the queen with him.¡±


    Torrhen helped Ned as he pushed himself up higher, wincing as his leg trembled with pain. ¡°Send them in,¡± Ned said, ¡°and leave us. What we have to say should not go beyond these walls.¡± Poole withdrew quietly.


    Robert had taken time to dress. He wore a black velvet doublet with the crowned stag of Baratheon worked upon the breast in golden thread, and a golden mantle with a cloak of black and gold squares. A flagon of wine was in his hand, his face already flushed from drink. Cersei Lannister entered behind him, a jeweled tiara in her hair.


    Torrhen went to stand beside the window over looking the courtyard below, defiantly not bowing or acknowledging their presence. Winter sat near the end of the bed.


    ¡°Your Grace,¡± Ned said. ¡°Your pardons. I cannot rise.¡±


    ¡°No matter,¡± the king said gruffly. He looked at Torrhen and the wolf once, then back to Ned without a word to Torrhen. ¡°Some wine? From the Arbor. A good vintage.¡±


    The Queen was seething at Torrhen and Winter.


    ¡°A small cup,¡± Ned said.


    ¡°A man in your place should count himself fortunate that his head is still on his shoulders,¡± the queen declared turning to Ned.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Quiet, woman,¡± Robert snapped. He brought Ned a cup of wine. ¡°Does the leg still pain you?


    ¡°Some,¡± Ned said.


    ¡°Pycelle was not allowed into the tower,¡± Robert frowned. ¡°I take it you know what Catelyn and your son has done?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Ned took a small swallow of wine. ¡°My lady wife is blameless, Your Grace. All she did she did at my command.¡±


    ¡°I am not pleased, Ned,¡± Robert grumbled.


    ¡°By what right do you dare lay hands on my blood?¡± Cersei demanded. ¡°Who do you think you are?¡±


    ¡°The Hand of the King,¡± Ned told her with icy courtesy. ¡°Charged by your own lord husband to keep the king¡¯s peace and enforce the king¡¯s justice.¡±


    ¡°You were the Hand,¡± Cersei began, ¡°but now¡ª¡±


    ¡°Silence!¡± the king roared. ¡°You asked him a question and he answered it.¡± Cersei subsided, cold with anger, and Robert turned back to Ned. ¡°Keep the king¡¯s peace, you say. Is this how you keep my peace, Ned? Twenty-one men are dead ¡­¡±


    ¡°Mauled to death by his rabid wolf,¡± the queen corrected. ¡°And injured men beheaded by your son in cold blood.¡±


    ¡°Abductions on the kingsroad, wild wolves rampaging and drunken slaughter in my streets,¡± the king said. ¡°I will not have it, Ned.¡±


    ¡°Catelyn had good reason for taking the Imp¡ª¡±


    ¡°I said, I will not have it! To hell with her reasons. You will command her to release the dwarf at once, and you will make your peace with Jaime.¡±


    ¡°One of my men was butchered before my eyes, because Jaime Lannister wished to chasten me. Had it not been for my son and his wolf, more of my men and Winter would be dead. Am I to forget that?¡±


    ¡°My brother was not the cause of this quarrel,¡± Cersei told the king. ¡°Lord Stark and his son were returning drunk from a brothel. His son and the wild rabid beast attacked Jaime and his guards, even as his wife attacked Tyrion on the kingsroad.¡±


    ¡°Winter¡¯s not rabid,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°Your brother ambushed us. And any man that comes to hurt my family will end up dead. The only reason your brother is still alive is because he ran away.¡±


    The Queen looked like she would burst from rage.


    ¡°You know me better than that, Robert,¡± Ned said. ¡°Ask Lord Baelish if you doubt me. He was there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve talked to Littlefinger,¡± Robert said. ¡°He claims he rode off to bring the gold cloaks before the fighting began, but he admits you were returning from some whorehouse.¡±


    ¡°Some whorehouse? Damn your eyes, Robert, I went there to have a look at your daughter! Her mother has named her Barra. She looks like that first girl you fathered, when we were boys together in the Vale.¡± Torrhen watched the queen as his father spoke; her face was a mask, still and pale, betraying nothing. It was a good thing that Barra and her mother had left Kingslanding already.


    Robert flushed. ¡°Barra,¡± he grumbled. ¡°Is that supposed to please me? Damn the girl. I thought she had more sense.¡±


    ¡°She cannot be more than fifteen, and a whore, and you thought she had sense?¡± Ned said, incredulous. ¡°The fool child is in love with you, Robert.¡±


    The king glanced at Cersei. ¡°This is no fit subject for the queen¡¯s ears.¡±


    ¡°Her Grace will have no liking for anything I have to say,¡± Ned replied. ¡°I am told the Kingslayer has fled the city. Give me leave to bring him back to justice.¡±


    The king swirled the wine in his cup, brooding. He took a swallow. ¡°No,¡± he said. ¡°I want no more of this. Jaime slew one of your men, and you all twenty of his. Now it ends.¡±


    ¡°Is that your notion of justice?¡± Ned flared. ¡°If so, I am pleased that I am no longer your Hand.¡±


    The queen looked to her husband. ¡°If any man had dared speak to a Targaryen as he has spoken to you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Do you take me for Aerys?¡± Robert interrupted.


    ¡°I took you for a king. Jaime and Tyrion are your own brothers, by all the laws of marriage and the bonds we share. The Starks have driven off the one and seized the other. This man and his son dishonor you with every breath they take, and yet you stand there meekly, asking if his leg pains him and would he like some wine.¡±


    Robert¡¯s face was dark with anger. ¡°How many times must I tell you to hold your tongue, woman?¡±


    Cersei¡¯s face was a study in contempt. ¡°What a jape the gods have made of us two,¡± she said. ¡°By all rights, you ought to be in skirts and me in mail.¡±


    Purple with rage, the king lashed out, a vicious backhand blow to the side of the head. Torrhen took a step forward and Winter was on his four legs. She stumbled against the table and fell hard, yet Cersei Lannister did not cry out. Her slender fingers brushed her cheek, where the pale smooth skin was already reddening. On the morrow the bruise would cover half her face. ¡°I shall wear this as a badge of honor,¡± she announced.


    ¡°Wear it in silence, or I¡¯ll honor you again,¡± Robert vowed. He shouted for a guard. Ser Meryn Trant stepped into the room, tall and somber in his white armor. ¡°The queen is tired. See her to her bedchamber.¡±


    Torrhen exchanged a look with his father as he approached the Queen and held out a hand to her. ¡°Let me escort you to your chambers.¡± He thought that she would refuse to take it, but a moment later she took his hand and let him lead her out. Winter followed in their heels making sure that Ser Meryn Trant kept his distance.


    ¡°He should not have done that,¡± Torrhen said, after they had left the Hand¡¯s tower and walked towards the Queen¡¯s chambers.


    Cersei said nothing. She did not shed a single tear.


    ¡°This was not the first time was it,¡± Torrhen said. He grasped her hand in a firm comforting manner.


    ¡°He has hit me before,¡± Cersei admitted.


    ¡°One can get to know a man¡¯s worth in the manner he treats his wife. Father used to tell me tales of Robert, and I have heard many stories of bravery and courage of King Robert during the rebellion from the lips of others. I didn¡¯t expect this from such a man. Still, had I been in your brother¡¯s position, I would have slain him the first time he had hit you if it had happened to my sister.¡±


    ¡°Jamie knew nothing of this,¡± Cersei said, angrily. ¡°Robert didn¡¯t dare hurt me on my face before. Jamie would have slain him in rage if he knew Robert hurt me.¡±


    ¡°I would do anything to keep my family safe too,¡± Torrhen said. ¡°You don¡¯t know the extent I will go to protecting my family. And that includes my wolves too.¡±


    ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± Cersei said as they reached her chambers.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like the betrothal between my sister Sansa and your Joffrey. I have heard some concerning things regarding the behavior of your son. I can¡¯t do anything to change it but he is still young, so he can learn. Teach your son some manners and how to treat women, because if he turns out anything like his father I will cut his head off.¡±


    Cersei stopped in her steps and turned to watch him. ¡°You dare threaten the life of my son.¡±


    ¡°Yes. If you don¡¯t think he can behave in a manner befitting a King, then cancel the betrothal. I will not stand back meekly as my sister gets hurt like you.¡± He bought his hand to the cheek where Robert had hit her. ¡°And make sure that you press a warm cloth to the bruise.¡±