4 Chapter 4 DUNCAN

Winterfell, 268 After the landing of Aegon I

A child could be seen in the Godswood playing with a black puppy.

"Come on, Buck, fetch the stick," he said.

The dog just looked at him, tilting its head.

"Come on, dog, I know you understand me..."

"Damn it, I'd give anything to be able to Warg, and to think that now I have my first pet in this life."

It all began with one of the runes I managed to decipher from the book. As I understand it, it's something like a Warg Stabilizer. It's composed of several small runes, such as protection, calmness, anti-espionage, amplification, sight, and many others that I still don't understand. I think it's some rune used for practicing or teaching Warg safely. It was surprising; I thought being a Warg would be something like simply forcing a bond with the animal or that it would simply develop over time if you have the gift.

The thing is, my father caught me while investigating sightings of Direwolves on this side of the Wall, as well as possible places where they could live within the Wolf Wood, I mean, it's in the name. Apparently, he thought I wanted to go look for one on my own or something. I think he mentioned it to my mother, and she to the rest of the castle, and then the whole Wintertown found out. With my growing popularity, the last thing I heard is that an old knight who specializes in breeding hunting dogs arrived at the castle with a gift, claiming that he doesn't breed wolves, but he breeds the best dogs in the north: two puppies, one white and one black, for the children of Lord Stark. I thought as I watched the puppy bark at his guard.

***

Change of perspective

My name is Daniel;

I am 18 years old. My father died in the War of the Ninepenny Kings following Lord Rickard Stark. My mother, who had a fragile heart, died of sadness upon hearing the news. My sister and I were raised by our grandmother, one of the most respected people in Winterfell, a kind but true Northerner.

Lord Rickard saw potential in me and trained me as a guard for his house from a young age; my sister was treated with all the kindness in the world, even when she left the castle to get married, a dowry was given to her to live in Wintertown, and since then, I swore to serve Lord Stark, his children, and his children's children until my death.

For years, my grandmother has been trapped by old age, since I was ten years old and started growing like an oak. My grandmother insists on changing my name; it's so absurd that much of the castle believes it's my real name. I know Lord and Lady Stark do it more as an inside joke, but that only confirmed it.

Since I've lived in Winterfell, I've noticed that things rarely change or move, as if the snow and cold freeze time. Well, that was until a few years ago, when Lady Stark had two children: Brandon Stark, the next Warden of the North and Lord of Winterfell, and his second son, Eddard Stark, a quiet and calm child.

Today, the whole castle is in chaos while the young lords, respectively, of four and three years old, swam in the hot springs. Lord Brandon sank like a stone; no one noticed except his brother, who, without thinking, dived in to rescue him before anyone else could react, emerging minutes later carrying his brother. Both are fine, but I still wonder how such a young child could achieve such a feat; undoubtedly, the blessing of the Old Gods. From that day on, the young lord changed; he was smarter, more playful. He asked his father to start lessons with the maester, and he did it so well: a blessed child, undoubtedly.

Lady Stark is pregnant again after two miscarriages in the past. The little wolf, as my grandmother calls him, has developed a new hobby of walking through the Godswood, saying he's searching for something. When I asked my grandmother if I should worry, she only replied that the gods of the North are not treacherous or capricious, that if they give something, they don't demand much in return. She only said she would be more worried if any Stark started talking to crows and birds. Today was undoubtedly the confirmation that the child is blessed; as we walked through Wintertown, the child decided to follow a girl through the village. Imagine my surprise when I realized I knew the girl: her name is Arwen. Seeing the little wolf joking with Arwen was undoubtedly strange, but not knowing who she was made it even more surprising. How wrong I was; he knew.

Retrospective scene

"By the way, sister, what is this tea you gave me? Its smell is fascinating."

"Nothing out of the ordinary, although it's difficult to prepare properly. They're called snowstorm flowers. If crushed or eaten, they can kill a grown man within hours from hypothermia. The symptoms are very similar to falling asleep naked under a snowstorm all night; many people die because they're so sweet... haha, just kidding. But don't worry, properly prepared, it removes the poison and leaves only a rich, refreshing, and very sweet flavor."

"Wow, you really know how to scare people, sister," Ned commented as his face went from terror to a radiant smile.

"You know, I really appreciate people who can tell a good story, as well as those who know things: maesters, blacksmiths, minstrels... witches," said Ned as his eyes began to shine again and his expression abandoned the youthful smile, adopting a flat and emotionless grimace.

"I'LL ASK YOU AGAIN, ARWEN, WHO ARE YOU?" he said with a deeper voice than should be possible for his youthful voice. For a brief moment, both Duncan and ARWEN shuddered. Kneeling down, the woman began to speak...

"I apologize and greet you, Stark. I acknowledge that you are a wolf, and I honor the pact. My name, as you already know, is ARWEN, a witch of the forest, a loyal servant of the Kings of Winter. I am in charge of the link between the order and the Stark. I swear we still remember; we are few now, mostly asleep since the dragons, but still loyal, my King."

"Wow, wait a moment, ARWEN. What's all this about a sleeping order and a link, and please, what the hell is the pact?"

"I apologize, Majesty, I thought you knew the situation; I was told you would."

"Alright, let's put that aside for now. Explain it to me."

"The original order was created a long time ago; no one knows when. We, the new order, were born as a group of healers, seers, wargs, and forest witches who served under the Kings of Winter. Our founder, Mithrandir, created us in order to protect the Stark of Winterfell and the North from invasion. Some say Mithrandir was a King in the North, others that he was his brother, and others that he was a seer who foresaw unimaginable disasters for the North and decided to intervene. Since then, we have served the Starks as advisers, doctors, and spies, at least until the arrival of the dragons when King Torrhen Stark knelt.

As for the pact, Majesty, there is very little information. The only thing certain is that Mithrandir, along with other great kings of magical blood, agreed to join forces to combat the impending disaster."

"And what disaster was that, Arwen? What did they want to prevent? Do you know?"

"Some say the disaster was in the North, that it would come with ice and death; others say it would come from the depths of the ocean. Some who followed Mithrandir on his travels claimed it would come from Essos. A small group believed the disaster was the children of the forest, or perhaps it referred to Aegon's blood. But nothing was ever confirmed, my King."

End of the scene

It was quite a shock to find out that Arwen was part of such an ancient order, with wizards and ice specters. I knew her as the little girl who looked after me alongside my sister. Although that was unsettling, it wasn't the most shocking thing.

The most surprising was the little wolf. As funny as it was to try to stop Arwen, who kept calling him "King," the way he demanded answers, the way his eyes sparkled when he ordered Arwen to speak, I know she knows the ancient language they later conversed in, but that first order wasn't in the LANGUAGE OF THE FIRST MEN commonly known; its style was older, almost guttural, more laden with magic.

I know because the little ancient language I know was passed down by my grandmother, but I had never heard it so clear, so powerful. Although now that I think about it, I don't think the King, haha, knows she was speaking another language. I know because I've seen the little lord speak in the ancient tongue with NAN while he speaks in common tongue or shouts at his mother in Valyrian; it's as if he's always speaking the same language to him. (Author's note: it will be resolved later, but not even Ned has realized it yet, I mean, we don't want him to accidentally speak High Valyrian to Robert, hehehe).

I returned to the castle worried; young Eddard told his mother that a bird was giving him advice. I must tell Nan; I must watch him closely.

Many things continue to happen in the castle. Today, I helped the Little Wolf in his usual treasure house and we found a chest, although Nan said I should keep it a secret. That same night, the little lord only presented two books to Lord Rickard, and the Maester seemed excited when he confiscated the book as if it were a sweet to the little one. That same night, the Maester died; perhaps taking sweets from children is not a good idea.

Since that day, Lord Stark assigned guards to each of the family members; now I am the Young Lord's Personal Guard. My job is to ensure nothing happens to him, although sometimes I think I'm more of a free worker. At least this month, it hasn't cost me in the godswood in his treasure house. I must say, most of the time he finds something, not as impressive as the chest, but undoubtedly another blessing from the Old Gods.

A surprise: Arwen came to live in the castle; she seems to be attending Lady Stark. Meanwhile, I went from being a digger to a worried housewife; during the moon, I had to go to Wintertown daily to ask prices and run errands. I swear, for a moment, I thought I saw the young wolf smile as he sent me to ask a price for the tenth time.

Half a moon passed and the Old Gods blessed the North with another Stark, a girl named Lyanna. I know she will do great things; perhaps she will be the one to ensure the prosperity of the North with a marriage. I trust it will be so. I just hope Nan doesn't change her name; it's a good name.

There's news; it seems Wintertown will be expanded, and the people are excited. If it's achieved before winter, many more people from the mountains might be able to come and safely spend the winter. The young one impressed Lady Stark by saying it was thanks to our work that she saved costs on the caravans.

The little one is impressive; not only did he convince his father to let him have lands to manage, but he also wants to help the children who suffered in the storm. I don't know where he gets his ideas, but perhaps Arwen was right. He's a king.

Scene Retrospective

"Father, good day."

"Good day, son. Good day, Duncan. Are you going to walk through the Godswood again?"

"No, father, I was looking for you."

"Phew, tell me, son, what idea do you have now? I told you that your plans to demolish and expand the city cannot be realized, especially with winter so close."

"No, father, today is something new. I think I have some ideas to improve our crops and the way we sow. I want to apply them to the North."

"Oh, that sounds too magical to believe. But explain to me, what are these ideas of yours?"

"Not yet, father, not yet. I don't know if they would be fully applicable or if they would work. I don't want to spend on untested ideas."

"Very thoughtful of you. So, what do you need?"

"I would like you to give me a field to put my methods into practice. About four fields will suffice. I have enough money to hire farmers and other people for my project."

"Oh, and where did you get so much money?"

"I found a few coins while searching around here. According to my calculations, maintaining four fields will not be a problem, along with the blacksmith and the carpenters."

"I see. A two-hour journey away, there are some farms that have been uninhabited since the plague a few years ago. You can use them. I will write to Lord Cerwin to send people to rebuild the farms and adapt them to your needs. Don't worry about the expenses; I will pay for them as long as they are not excessive."

"Thank you, father."

"You're welcome, son. You've earned it for your good work."

"Hey, father, Lys informed me that after the summer snowstorm, many children were orphaned around Wintertown. I want to search for them and bring them to the city, create something like a shelter paid for by the Starks so that they can grow up in peace. Maybe create a few more on the lands of your bannermen.

I know that normally in the North, it's the neighbors who take care of these children until they are old enough to inherit, but that creates a vicious circle in which the elderly have to leave their homes to avoid burdening the family finances in winter. If my idea for the fields works, that won't be a problem anymore, but until then, I would like to help as much as possible." 

"Hmm, sounds like another excellent project. However, the finances of House Stark cannot finance such a project, at least not with the reconstruction of Wintertown in progress."

"But father, if more people could survive the winter, the North would strengthen in one or two generations. Besides, we would gain the loyalty of the common people."

"The Starks have all the loyalty they need in the North, son, but I will tell you that you can choose the orphans or your field project. I will pay for only one."

"I... Well..."

"And?"

"I choose the field project, father. If it works, not only the orphans of Wintertown will benefit and have more food, but perhaps the entire North will benefit."

"Okay, then we'll continue with the farm."

"Of course, father, understood. When can I start the project?"

End of the scene.

End of the point of view.

"My lord, your father requests your presence in the Great Hall; a caravan is approaching."

"Thank you, Ross, I'll go right away," said Ned as he picked up Buck from the floor.

"Come on, Duncan, we must go to receive the maester with the others."

"..."

"Maybe I should tell him that my name isn't actually Daniel," Daniel thought.

***

At the gates of the Great Hall of Winterfell stood the entire Stark family, waiting for the carriage to enter.

"Welcome, Maester. I hope the journey wasn't too hard for you. The hospitality of Winterfell is yours."

"Thank you very much, Lord Stark," said the Maester as he took a piece of bread with salt.

"Let me introduce you to my family: Lady Lyarra Stark, my sons Brandon Stark, Eddard Stark, and my daughter Lyanna Stark."

"A pleasure, my lady," he said, kissing the back of her hand.

"A pleasure likewise. Young Lo..." he said, abruptly stopping and looking at my guard with slightly moist eyes, he pronounced uncertainly,

Ser. Duncan?"

____

Diary of Edrick Stark

Entry Number 6

Following the rumors, I went as far east as I could, to the kingdom of Yi Ti, located between the Great Sand Sea, the Shrinking Sea, and the Sea of ​​Lions. To the east lie the Mountains of the Dawn, the Shadow Lands, and Asshai. My next goal was to go to Asshai, the land of sorcerers, but something tells me that the answers are here.

My journey took me to the capital of Si Qo, known as Si Qo the Glorious, situated in the heart of the jungle of Yi Ti. I don't know what's going on, but the city feels empty. There are rumors of a great war approaching from the east.

There I met him. He claims to be a prince, taller than a common man, nearly two meters tall. He too has been seeking answers. We compared notes and we are close to the truth; I can feel it. He offered to travel with me. Perhaps his company would be beneficial.

Let's go to the north of Yi Ti. The writings refer to an inland sea, and he has already searched the seas of his region, even further east... perhaps farther north.

___________________________________

You know, I have a dog that I rescued from the forest, trusting that it wasn't a coyote or a fox. He just let himself be taken and is of medium size, very calm.

He's really a good boy, maybe a little too good. I had to adopt another one to keep him company and defend him. I'm not saying he's cowardly or anything like that, he just gets along well with people and won't attack you even if he doesn't know you and you bother him.

On the other hand, my brother rescued a puppy who is now the size of a Labrador, but still doesn't understand that he's no longer a puppy and is very clumsy with his own body.

I had the idea that Ned's Direwolf's character (because he will have one) would be clumsy and funny, but I don't think it fits with a 2-meter Giant Wolf.

That's why we introduce the good boy Buck, he'll be a big, black dog with a good-natured face.

Leave your best images, I'll start.