7 Beastguard

Author's note: 3.3k words for you guys to enjoy!

Another battle, and a new idea for Aegon's future.

The true insanity of his 10 for 1 and healing wish will also reveal itself more.

Enjoy!

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Wolfswood, Clearing - 287 AC

POV | Aegon Targaryen

Aegon had to think fast. By the sound of the howls, he had less than thirty seconds to get ready.

He quickly commanded his friends. "Freya, please bring as many of my knives as possible. Hugin and Munin, are you guys okay?"

Freya moved swiftly, and Hugin flew to his right shoulder and nipped his ear affectionately. Munin croaked painfully, he had been hit by the back end of a spear, whereas Hugin had only been backhanded in comparison.

"Peace, friend. Can you escape to a tree branch?" Aegon asked him swiftly.

Munin hopped and flew to a lower hanging branch. The pain he felt, almost caused him to crash, but he just about managed to land safely.

Aegon gave Munin a soldier's salute before he asked Hugin:

"Hugin, carry as large a stone as you can and bring it to the treetops. When the wolves arrive, I need you to drop it on one of them, okay buddy?"

Hugin returned a salute with his wing before he started searching for a fitting stone.

Whilst he was giving the Ravens orders, Freya had already returned with 3 knives.

"Thank you, love! Remind me to reward you royally when we survive this."

She sent her affections through their bond before she ran off for a 4th knife.

Aegon used his last vestiges of his strength to pick up his knives and spear before he hobbled over to his uncle and cousin, only to receive a cheeky greeting from Robb, despite the sombre mood.

"You've seen better days, Jon."

"Really, Robb? One would think I got ambushed by 22 wildlings and got my ass handed to me twice, and only survived because my cat is a Queen, and my brother is a decent shot." Aegon looked at him dully as he answered his remark.

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POV | Eddard Stark

Ned chuckled despite himself. He was glad to see them whole, despite the cost that had come at. Jon's wound did not look too deep, and Robb was unharmed.

Jory might be out of commission, but at least he survived. He thanked the Old Gods that they only lost six men against the force of 22. He looked at his sons, Jon and Robb, and felt immeasurable pride surge through him.

He knew that as long as these two stood together, nothing would beat them. They both embodied the values of their family, and he could not be happier. When he saw the smiles the two had for each other he almost reconsidered his decision, but he knew that he could not.

'I need the attention off Jon for a few years at least. Especially after word gets out about what happened here. He was just a prodigy before, but what he did tonight was outside the realm of what would normally be possible.'

Instead of the wolves they had been expecting, a huge and tired shadowcat, with what looked to be a new-born kitten, broke through the tree with the group of wolves following after it.

The shadowcat ran up besides Jon, and it looked like it almost hid behind him for protection. The large feline looked almost pleadingly at them for help. Ned looked at his sons, to confirm that they all saw the same thing. When he realized he was not hallucinating because of pain, he turned towards the wolves, to take a stand.

Ned said the words he had heard from Ser Arthur Dayne 7 years ago.

"And now it begins."

He got the shock of his life, as Jon patted the head of the huge shadowcat and proceeded to chime in with the exact same words he had used himself.

"No. Now it ends."

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POV | Aegon Targaryen

As soon as the shadowcat stepped into the clearing, he knew that this was a test. 'Had I just been wasting my time since I arrived, or had I actually managed to change anything? I somehow passed the first one, but whoever sent these wolves probably felt that I needed an extra push.'

He shook his head slightly; it did not matter. He had survived his first fight, and he had learned as much as someone who had fought ten. He had lost two fights because of his physical abilities that were lower than his opponents, and his own lack of experience did not help matters.

'We're in a damn forest, and I did not think to use the terrain to thin the herd? Now I can't even do it, because of my broken arm. Such a pain. At least it will heal in a week.'

His two spears were stuck into the ground beside him, and he had his knives at the ready. 'I have to kill as many at a distance as possible.' He looked to the side and saw that Robb's horse was getting spooked, so he warned him:

"Robb retreat slightly. Use your bow to back us up!"

The young Stark heir nodded and retreated swiftly. As soon as he had moved enough, he nocked an arrow and started aiming.

Aegon knew that wolves were agile and cunning, so despite the dark, he would not throw before they started moving. He looked down and saw a small rock, he kicked it towards the wolves to taunt them, and it worked perfectly.

As soon as the first wolf charged, it was met with a knife straight through the eye, another was just jumping to avoid the projectile when it was met with an arrow in the side. It did not die, but it was heavily hurt. A third wolf had charged at Ned, yet it seemed Lord Stark still had strength left, because the wolf was cut cleanly through before it could let out a single whimper.

The fourth wolf was smarter, and it managed to avoid fatal injuries from Aegon's last knives. It charged at him much faster than he had expected, but before it could reach him, a rather large rock hit its back, and something definitely broke. 'Hugin to the rescue. He used Rock Throw, and it was super effective.' He pulled his own spear from the ground and thrust it into the wolf's face.

As soon as the third and fourth charged, the fifth and sixth had charged Aegon and Ned as well. The fifth wolf had managed to bite into Ned's thigh, and by the sound of his scream, it was painful.

The one who charged at Aegon was smart enough to know that the spear was dangerous. It slammed its entire body into the middle of the spear, before he could pull it out, and caused it to snap like a twig. Aegon stepped back to gain some space, and in rushed to attempt to grab the spear he had taken from the wildling.

He was not fast enough.

The wolf jumped to tackle him, and Aegon did the first thing that passed through his mind.

He made a turning motion as he lowered his body onto his left knee. His right hand grabbed the wolf by the fur and skin and with a mighty heave, he slammed the 132 lbs, 60 kg, wolf right into the ground.

It let out a yelp in pain, but neither of the two adversaries were done yet. Just as it tried to stand, Aegon gave it a heavy kick right into ribs.

Crack.

It whined in pain, but Aegon did not let up. He kicked, and kicked, and kicked.

The bones in its ribcage were destroyed to a point where they had splintered and punctured its lungs and heart.

Aegon was dead on his feet at this point. He had never felt as much pain in his life, and it seemed that despite his immense endurance, all the intense fighting, the wounds and the stress could actually tire him out.

He could not stop before he was sure that the last wolf was dead though.

He looked for his uncle and saw two arrows in its front. The back of its body was a meter to the left of its front. It seemed that Lord Stark enjoyed cutting his enemies in two.

"Well fought." Aegon complimented them.

His uncle looked at him with what Aegon thought might be pride, and he felt a slight lump in his throat. "You saved our lives, Jon. Thank you."

'Shitty kiddie brain. Why am I almost tearing up?' He tried to shake the thought, but a treacherous voice sounded out in his mind. //Because you care. You try not to, but you can't help but care//.

He sat down on a tree stub beside his uncle, and he felt a heavy but warm hand on his shoulder, and for the first time since he had arrived in Westeros, his uncle had managed to make him cry.

"Your mother would have been so, so incredibly proud of you."

Aegon remembered the one memory he had of her, and he cried silent tears of grief for everyone he had ever lost, for everything he would never have.

Sniff. "Will you tell me of her?" Sniff.

"Aye. At Winterfell, when we have healed up."

"Honest?" A warm hand ruffled his hair, and a warm large paw on his thigh.

Before Ned could answer, Aegon turned to see the huge shadowcat that had run away from the wolves with her child carried by the nape of its neck.

It greeted him by a large lick to the face.

"Wow. Thank you for the saliva bath. I really needed that right now." The sarcasm was palpable, and the somewhat heavy tension in the clearing, eased up as Robb and Ned laughed out loud.

The large feline whined pitifully before it pushed its child in front of Aegon.

"What, you want me to take care of him?" He asked slightly joking and slightly hopeful. The kitten/cub looked like a hybrid between a shadowcat and a wolf, and he was sure that it was not a normal occurrence.

She nodded and pushed the little hybrid close to him. Aegon pulled him up from the ground and put the beautiful animal up to his lap. He looked at the mother and saw that she looked sad but determined. A thought hit him, and he could not let the chance go.

"Why don't you come with us, as well?" The beautiful shadowcat's blue eyes looked at him searchingly, and Aegon immediately attempted to establish a mental connection. Her eyes widened in shock, and she let him in. He tried to convey his genuine desire to have them both by his side, the affection he had for Freya, Hugin and Munin, and his budding affection for them as well.

She eased more and more into the bond, before she sat herself beside him and rubbed her large frame against his side.

A huge smile spread across his face, and he used his right arm to hug, Hel, tight to his body as he rubbed little Fenris' head. Freya, Hugin and Munin were not willing to be forgotten either. They all found a limb to attach themselves to, with the birds at each of his feet, and Freya taking her rightful place at the top of his head.

He was pulled back to reality by the disbelieving laugh of his uncle.

"What's next, son? Maybe you'll pull home a bear, a basilisk, or a lizard-lion?" he laughed a little at the thought of Jon riding into battle on either of those.

What he did not see, was the light in Aegon's eyes as he was reminded of the existences known as basilisks and lizard-lions. 'Why not all three? I want them all. Robb and Jon showed just how effective Direwolves could be in battle. What if I had more? Different animals. Different beasts. My own guard, entirely loyal to me alone.'

"Hahahaha! That's a brilliant idea! I will have my own Beastguard!"

He could just imagine it. Him sitting on a giant bear or mammoth for melee battles with a guard of knights and deadly beasts joining him. A mighty dragon roaring from above as they decimated anyone dumb enough to cross them. 'I want it sooo bad!'

The voice of his cousin, sounded right after: "Hey! That sounds great! I want one as well."

"Hmmm, it's not a bad idea. You have to train though." Aegon mused.

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POV | Robb Stark

"How would I do that?" Robb asked excitedly. He had been slightly envious of Freya for some time because she was so loyal and beautiful, but as soon as he saw the shadowcat practically glued to his cousin, he knew that he NEEDED one as well.

'It's a shadowcat! They can hunt bears alone! They are 4 meters, 13 feet, long from their tail to their snout, and the one by Jon's side looks to almost as tall as me, and I'm 4'4, 1.34 m, it is freaking gigantic! It could probably have killed four to five of the wildlings we fought earlier.'

He looked at the mighty creature. It had a well-muscled black body with white lines and a bushy tail. It looked like a black tiger, but its fur was a tad thicker and its body more streamlined for speed than the tigers he had seen in drawings.

He looked at his brother for answers, and Aegon did not disappoint.

"You should try to find a cat or a bird to train. When you feel like you can actually understand what they want and need, you'll be ready for a larger animal. I'll write a training plan down when we're at Winterfell."

"Hmm. That does sound like what you have been doing, I didn't think you could actually understand them. Thank you!"

"No worries, can I get you to grab some parchment in the meanwhile. We need to send Hugin to Winterfell for reinforcements. We can't get home by ourselves."

Robb looked wide eyed at his father and brother. "I forgot you were hurt! Don't worry, I will get it immediately."

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Wolfswood, Clearing - Three hours later

POV | Aegon Targaryen

'They should be here anytime, now.'

Robb had helped himself, Jory, and Ned with bandaging their wounds and popping dislocated limbs back in place. 'Truly, he has saved our damn asses multiple times.'

He looked at form of his sleeping cousin, who had huddled up beside Ned, and he felt slightly complicated. Not because he wanted to do the same. Hel was way more cuddle worthy. She was about 485 lbs, 220 kg of cuddly warmth, and only Freya could compare to peace it brought him.

'Why do I feel like a Lion with a pride of felines? Hmm. Looking at Fenris, I can't be sure that Hel doesn't prefer Direwolves, though. I won't know until I see his growth. It will be interesting for sure. It's like playing Pokémon again, and not knowing what the final evolution will look like.'

He chuckled slightly. 'I feel happy. Despite the death, the pain and everything else, I've never felt as light as I do now.'

He had churned his 10k calories during the last three hours and his body was using the extra energy to heal rapidly. His left arm would take the longest, but it was not even close to being an issue.

He had bandaged Munin as well, and he looked slightly disappointed in his failure, but he would heal fine as well. Jory and Ned were the only ones who might meet some of the issues of injuries in a medieval world.

'If I kill one of the horses for a healing ritual, we should all heal faster… If I get caught doing a sacrificial ritual though, I'll be fucked… No, it isn't worth it. Help will be here within half an hour. Hugin arrived at Winterfell after an hour. We were only 50 miles, 80 km, from the castle, and the reinforcements are only about 15 miles from reaching us. They will make it soon.'

He considered doing it for himself but decided to allow the pain. He had seen the others shrugging off pain as if it did not matter and decided that he needed to be able to do the same.

'10 for 1 is insane. If we fought the same battle again with the same odds, I would have butchered my opponents. This truly shows how important experience is in comparison to regular sparring and training. It does explain how a 50-year-old Cregan Stark managed to fight The Dragonknight for an hour without losing. Heck, the old man probably won and allowed the Dragonknight to live and retain his honour.'

He shook his head in sheer disbelief. 'Fucking monster.'

He looked at the callouses of his right hand. 'I am strong. Killing 8 men and 3 wolves is nothing to scoff at. I really need to hit puberty though. The passive increase in strength will be a massive boost, especially since I've already reached a fifth of peak human in strength and endurance. My speed is even slightly above 50 percent. That isn't really much when a lot of trained adults can beat that. That freaking spearman was way faster than me.'

He could lament that the average man was in better physical condition here than in the 21st century of The Earth. It made sense though, people lived and died by the sword here. If you were not strong enough to protect yourself and family, you will die.

'I don't even feel guilty for killing anymore. This world is insane, but it's mine now. I have to come to terms with it and with what I want to achieve.'

When he fell asleep after the fight with the wildlings, he had felt someone touch him, and he even felt his wounds heal faster. He had been woken up, by the wolves just as he had opened his eyes, and he did not manage to get a clear picture of the person who could touch him in his dreams.

By the tender caress he felt on his face, he sincerely hoped it was a girl.

The huge body of Hel draped itself up on him, as her head rested on his right shoulder, and the rest covered up his right side. He snuggled his head closer to her, and she purred in her sleep. Freya was resting on the left side of his chest, right above his heart.

'I might be immune to the cold, but this is still nice. I hope the scab on my wound doesn't open.'

He thought long and hard about his place in this world. It was much more complicated and multi-faceted than he had thought it would be. He had almost forgot how convoluted and fleshed out the actual books on canon were in comparison to the movie series and some of the fanfictions he had read.

Most importantly, he had forgotten that the characters he did not like in those works were not the same. 'They are actual people. I can't just treat people like I am all-knowing. I am not. I need to be more observant, and less self-righteous. I have already missed vital hints, and I cannot afford to do that anymore. That's how people die here.'

He had missed something vital with his uncle, and he needed to find out what it was. After their short heart to heart, he knew that his uncle had a reason for sending him on a trip to the wall, and it was not just to get rid of him.

'The butterfly's wings have flapped, and I need to know what I have changed.'

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Author's note: 'Sniff'

Ahhh, Aegon is finally growing from an Egg into an Aegon.

No, really. He was quite immature about the world he was in. He forgot that death is a Monday, and betrayal a Tuesday on Planetos.

He also can't keep seeing people he doesn't like as book characters. They are not. Sometimes small events can change people drastically, and he needs to realize that as well as understand those changes if he wants to prevail. He is finally seeing that.

He also noticed that something is up with Ned, something he has missed in his self-righteous and slightly childish anger. The world doesn't revolve around him, and other people live here as well. They are not NPC's.

Let's hope he learns more in the next chapter :) He might revert to an Egg, though...

Unless... Huehuehue

See ya!