A Place to Call Home
290 AC, Winterfell…
The deed was done. Rodrik had lost the house left behind by his father but he gained his freedom. His dear friend, Jon, has even asked his father to allow Rodrik to stay in the castle as a servant but that was too much for the Lord.
For Lord Stark, helping Jon's friend to gain his freedom was one thing, allowing a murderer to stay in his household was another, even if that murderer was still a child. Besides, his wife was adamant about not allowing the child in their home.
In the end, Rodrik was released to the streets. The first he did after gaining his freedom was visiting his friends to thank them.
He knew if not for them, he would have been sent to the Night's Watch without any other choice. When he arrived at the Whore's Backyard, he found them hanging around as always.
They all greeted Rodrik with smiles on their faces and hugged him. Rodrik was happy that at least he had such friends who made an effort to help him.
However, what shocked him most was the story of how did they convince Lenny and his gang to come for help. Apparently, it was all thanks to Jon's plan as he convinced others to empty the coffers and pay Lenny and his lads.
Rodrik grieved at the loss of all that coins but, still, he was grateful for what they did. He spends the remainder of his day in the Whore's Backyard and comes the night, he stayed in the little shed.
During the next few days, Rodrik sated his hunger with the help of his friends but, soon, he realized that he couldn't continue like this.
He was 10 years now, as his birthday passed when he was in dungeons, and there was no one to look after him. He couldn't rely on his friends forever so he did the most sensible thing. Instead of begging others to help him, he decided to take the reins of his life onto his own hands.
He began to search for a job in town. However, everyone looked at him despisingly as they believed he was a murderer. He was belittled at every turn and refused to let in the stores.
Only a family of three offered him a job and that was looking after an old man who lived outside of the Wintertown.
Rodrik intended to refuse the job but considering his options so far, which was non-existent, he decided to accept it.
Apparently, the old man was the benefactor of the family and they wanted help him to live the rest of his days in peace.
The next day, Rodrik bid farewell to his friends and told them to look after the Whore's Backyard in his stead. They protested and told him that they could help him but Rodrik was adamant about leaving and starting a new life.
He set off to the road but, of course, he was not alone as one of the members of the family was escorting him to the old man. After all, he was still a child and the vast North was not a place a child could wander alone.
It took nearly half a day of travel on foot for them to arrive at their destination. However, what greeted them was a small wooden house and two dogs before it.
The dogs were barking threateningly as Rodrik and the man closed on. The man wryly smiled and yelled, "Uncle Duncan, please call off your dogs. It is me, Jack!"
A few seconds later someone yelled from inside the house and the dogs stopped barking. An old man came out leaning on a long stick. His hair was white and long, his face was full of wrinkles but what surprised him was the burned skin on his face. It was going down from his eyes to his neck and into his shirt.
The old man was standing tall and he was at least two meters long. From Rodrik's perspective, he looked like a giant.
Rodrik shuffled his feet as the old man was imposing despite his age. He thought that if someone was going to look after someone, that would be the old man taking care of Rodrik. Honestly, he was expecting to see a grumpy old man with a hunchback.
"I hear you brought someone with you, another one to look after me?" The old man asked as he frowned, "The last one is still rotting behind the house."
Rodrik tensed hearing the words of the old man and he eyed Jack discreetly. However, Jack put his hand on his shoulder assuringly and said, "Don't worry, he had people taking caring him before but the last one tried to steal from him and got what he deserved. As long as you behave, no harm will come to you."
The old man grunted and said, "Are you going to stay?"
"Ah no, I need to go back. Jenny would not stop talking if I stay," said Jack.
Rodrik stood there like a fool and waited for their talk to end. He was expecting Jack to stay at least for a night so he could get used to around.
"Be a good boy and listen to Uncle Duncan. I will be coming once a moon to bring some goods. Now, I need to go before the sun sets or the roads would be dangerous." Jack was already preparing to go back as Rodrik wondered whether he was ever getting tired or not.
"Aye," Rodrik said.
"Follow me, boy." The old man said as he went back to his house.
Rodrik looked at Jack to see him beckoning for him to follow the old man. Rodrik picked his sack from the ground, which was filled with his two sets of clothes, several trinkets and a wooden sword gifted by his friends, and run after the old man while eyeing the dogs.
There were two rooms and a kitchen inside the house. The biggest room was the old man's place and, apparently, the small one was going to be his. He wondered what his job was going to be.
Rodrik saw the old man sitting on a chair and peeling some potatoes. At least they were not going to starve in this place which even Gods had forgotten about.
"Come sit before me," the old man said.
Rodrik went to the table and sat on the chair. He looked at the old man. His face was indeed horrifying due to the burnt skin and a faded scar was apparent on his cheek.
"My name is Duncan but you can call me uncle," he said.
Rodrik nodded his head and remembered his father who was also named Duncan. The memories of him were slowly fading away but Rodrik tried to hold them dear to his heart. He never had the chance to mourn him so remembering him at every mention of his name was breaking his heart.
In the end, Rodrik pushed aside the thought of his father and told Duncan his own name but he snorted, "I will call you 'boy' until you deserve to be called by your name."
"What will I do here?" Rodrik asked.
"Didn't Jack tell you anything?" Hearing Rodrik says 'no', Duncan grumbled, "First of all, my eyes are not good as the days of my youth so come the morning, you will help me to fetch fresh water from the river. Then, you will be cutting some firewood and feeding the dogs. All in all, you will be running around for chores."
"Now, boy, help me to cut the potatoes I have peeled. You can get a knife from the closet," he said.
Rodrik rose from his seat and opened the closet to find a sharp and big knife. He picked it and began cutting the potatoes roughly.
"So what is your story, were you a beggar before Jack found you? You look like one from your smell." Duncan said.
"I am not a beggar!" Rodrik retorted, "My father died during the last war so when my aunt tried to take our house, I have accidentally killed her. Lord Stark told me that the only way I can gain my freedom was by paying something called blood money. So I had to give the house to her spawn."
"What about your mother?" Duncan asked.
"She died giving birth to me," Rodrik felt his eyes swelling with tears but he sniffed and forced them back, "My father and I always lived alone."
"Don't begin crying now," Duncan berated Rodrik while snorting, "At least you are lucky to have your father raise you, I grew up in the slums of a city, orphan from birth."
That piqued Rodrik's interest as he had never been to a city before, "You grew up in White Harbour?" he asked.
"No, I hail from the South. My childhood was a harsh one, growing on the streets are never easy. Especially in a place where even the air smells like shit." While they were talking, potatoes were all peeled and sliced so Duncan asked Rodrik to bring some firewood from behind the house.
Rodrik left the house and run back behind it seeing the dogs eyeing him constantly. Firewoods were lined in an orderly manner but what caught Rodrik's attention was the two scarecrows.
Rodrik remembered the targets he saw in Winterfell. They were being used by the man-at-arms to train so he imagined himself using the scarecrows to practice in his spare times.
He picked several firewoods and went back inside. They cooked up some soup for dinner and Rodrik devoured every bit of it. It had been some time since he ate a hot meal.
Duncan told him to clean up the table when they were finished with their meal. The sun was already going down and grasshoppers were beginning to sing their songs.
"Your room is ready, go get some sleep when you are done. Tomorrow will be tiring," Duncan said and trodded to his own room but stopped at his last step, "Good night, boy…" he murmured and shot his door.
Rodrik went to his new room when he was done. There was only a mat and a closet inside but that was enough for Rodrik as he was used to sleeping on hard ground.
He laid down on the mat and pulled the thick blanket on himself. At least he had a place to call home now…