7 Buried With Him

294 AC, Wolfswood…

It has been four years since Rodrik began living with the old man, Duncan. He was 14 years now and his height was already near 1.8 meters.

His days were the same as always. He was fetching water, feeding the animals, cutting wood, preparing the meal and, sometimes, going to the Wintertown with Jack to bring back some rations.

He was content with his new life as he had nearly everything he ever wished for.

He was fed every day. He earned coppers just looking after Duncan and he was even learning how to wield a sword.

Yes, to his surprise, Duncan was pretty good with a sword during his younger years. Although he was reluctant to speak about his past, after seeing Rodrik practising every day he was impressed with his persistence.

In the end, he told Rodrik that he was going to teach him how to wield a sword, lest he cut himself under his watch. And that was more than three years ago.

Rodrik learned a lot during this time as Duncan told him that he had a natural talent for sword-wielding, though the same could not be said about culinary skills. Duncan was complaining a lot about the taste of the food whenever he made something.

Nevertheless, despite his grumpiness, Rodrik was grateful to the old man and he was beginning to see him as his family.

If not for him, he would have been begging in Wintertown. However, here, a new life was given to him, a new beginning.

Today, Rodrik has made another journey to Wintertown to help Jack and they were already on their way back. They were carrying over two sacks filled with grain and other stuff.

"How is the old man, is his back still aching?" Jack asked.

"It is but he is handling it. You know, after he began teaching me to use a sword, he literally regained life. He is very happy while teaching but as soon as we return home, he is the grumpy old man again. Besides, he is still calling me 'boy'." Rodrik scrunched up his nose as he spoke.

"Well, you can't get a man as old as him happy all the time," Jack laughed.

"How old is he anyway, whenever I ask him about his life in the South, he always digress from it," said Rodrik.

"I can tell you, but if I do so you will not get any coppers this moon," Jack said jokingly.

However, Rodrik realized some distress in his voice, "Do you have some problems at the house, you can tell me you know?" he asked.

They silently walked a few minutes and only then did Jack spill the beans, "You remember the last time I came?"

Rodrik nodded his head as Jack continued his words, "While returning back some bandits cut my road and robbed me. I had just received my salary when we were buying grains. I didn't have time to go back home so all of my coins were with me. Now, I have to tighten my belt, lest the kids starve this moon."

Rodrik slapped Jack's shoulder, "Don't worry about paying me. Besides, I don't spend them anyway. After all, the old man is feeding me and I have everything I need there."

"Thank you Rodrik, I appreciate it." A smile graced Jack's face as he rubbed his shoulder, "You got pretty strong, aye? I should tell Uncle Duncan to feed you less, or someone will mix you up with Umbers."

"Now now, don't digress it," Rodrik laughed, "You were going to tell me about the old man."

"I will but you cannot tell him. If he hears I told you all this, he would bury me alive." Seeing Rodrik nod his head, a serious look took over Jack's face, "He is ancient, even older than the Frey Lord."

"Who is Frey Lord?" Rodrik asked in confusion.

Jack looked at him in bewilderment, "Right, you never went to the South so you do not know that man." Jack thought for a moment and then said, "You should probably know the old woman of Winterfell, right?"

Realizing Rodrik still looking at him with confusion, Jack said, "Her grandson is a dimwit. He only says 'Hodor'."

Rodrik finally understood whom he was talking about and said, "My friend, Jon, spoke about her once. He said even the father of Lord Stark was raised by that woman."

"Yes, Uncle Duncan is even older than that woman. He once told me that his days were spent in the capital, guarding a man he regarded as a son. Probably, he was a high ranked guard for some noble. However, you saw his face, those burnt marks would even scare the battle-hardened veterans."

"Do you know how did they happen?" Rodrik asked.

"He never told us but, probably, his face was burned while he was protecting that noble. However, they are pretty useful against bad cunts out there." A frown took over Jack's face, "Me and my family met him when we were travelling from the Gift to Wintertown. You see life was good up in the North but the wildling attacks were too much so we decided to move into the Wintertown as my wife had a house there left by his father. I was a young lad by then and thought I could handle whatever came. However, when we were on the road, several wildlings that came for raiding attacked us."

Jack adjusted the sack on his back and continued to walk, "There were four of them so I thought this was going to be our end but Uncle Duncan came out on his horse, he was wearing a thick fur of a bear and had a sword on his hand. You should have seen the faces of the wildlings. His burnt marks were still red by then so all of them looked at him with fear. He cut them so easily, the wildlings looked like children before him."

Rodrik listened with interest as he realized he never knew the old man's past and his deeds. However, there was still a question nagging his mind, "If he lived in the South, why would he come to the North?"

"He told me he was going there to wash away his sins, though he never told me what those sins were…"

"But he is not a black brother, is he?" Rodrik looked at Jack in confusion.

"No, but I don't know why he came back." Jack shrugged his shoulders.

Rodrik and Jack continued to chat as they closed on to Duncan's house. However, Rodrik frowned as he saw a sight that turned him mad.

He put the sack he was carrying on the ground and ran forward. There, on the ground, one of the dogs of Duncan was lying with an arrow buried on his head.

Rodrik knelt beside it and turned his head back to Jack with a deeper frown on his face. "It is dead," he said.

Jack also left his sack to the ground ran up to his side and said, "Move aside, let me have a look."

Jack pulled out the arrow from the dog and looked at its fletchings. Although blood was splashed on it, a black feather dyed with coal was still visible.

"Bastards!" Jack threw away the arrow as he stood up, "These are the bandits that cut my road last moon."

Anger washed over Rodrik's eyes as he also stood up and ran towards the house. Jack followed closely behind him. They both had a small dagger with them but that was it so Rodrik slowed down when they were close to the house.

The front of the house was littered with bodies. Two of them had deep claw marks on them but the others were cut into pieces.

The other dog's body was lying before the door of the house and it had a deep gash on its belly.

Rodrik ran inside the house while picking up a sword from the ground. The inside of the house was a mess, blood was everywhere and two bodies were on the ground with stabbing wounds on their bodies.

Rodrik looked around but couldn't see the old man anywhere. The house was a mess as everything was looted. Just as he was leaving the house, he heard Jack yelling from behind the house.

He immediately ran behind the house with the sword in his hand but what he didn't expect was to find the old man sitting against the wall while holding his belly which had a deep cut on it.

Jack was beside him already and the old man was coughing blood. Rodrik took slow steps towards him as he did not want to believe it.

"Boy, come here," said Duncan as blood trickled down his mouth.

Rodrik ignored him and turned to Jack, "Let's carry him inside, we need to deal with that wound." he said.

However, Duncan grabbed Rodrik's arm as he forced him to go down and said, "Look at my wound, it won't heal even if you bring a maester."

"No, we can heal you!" Rodrik shouted as tears welled in his eyes.

"Rodrik, look at me!" Duncan coughed out blood as he spoke, "I am a dead man, I lived long enough anyways. It is time for me to rest."

Rodrik couldn't hold his tears anymore as he began crying. Here, a man he considered his family was dying and he couldn't do anything to save him. He cursed those bandits and all they held dear.

Duncan turned his head to Jack and said, "You know the chest hidden in my bedroom, right?"

"Yes, I know." Jack nodded his head.

"I want you to bury them with me…" As the words left Duncan's mouth, his grip on Rodrik's arm grew weaker. By the time he uttered his last word, his eyes were hollow and his breath was stilled.

A man who outlived kings and lords alike died just like a peasant at the hands of some bandits.

"He is dead," Jack sighed and stood up, "You stay, I will get shovels."

As Jack left, Rodrik closed the old man's eyes. Although his stay here was short, the old man had a special place in his heart and he was going to grieve for him.

Rodrik and Jack carried the old man's body to an opening as they dig a deep grave. Funerals were something foreign to Rodrik as he never had a chance to bury his dead father or mother. Nevertheless, he had done what was asked of him.

They put his body into the grave and Jack brought the chest from the house. They opened to find a burnt white cloak and a shiny steel sword. They looked at each other in confusion but still did what the old man wished from them in his last breath.

After that, they gathered the dead bodies of the bandits and stripped them bare of their armour. After all, even if they were made from leather, they were valuable in the market. They burned the bodies in a pit as they had no heart to bury them properly.

"So what are you going to do now?" Jack asked as they moved back to the house.

"I don't know," Rodrik said, "However, I have a question for you. Those bandits you were met, what were their numbers?"

"Hmm," Jack frowned and said, "There were at least ten of them."

"So two of them are still alive…" Rodrik's eyes blazed red like when he stabbed that bitch after she badmouthed his father.

*****

Anyone guessed who was the old man? Come on, I gave all the hints!!