AN-Hey guys another chapter here this time I intend for it to be much longer. I was debating in my mind whether or not to wait a little bit to do this chapter but I decided to do it immediately. Anyways, remember to leave a review, and I hope you enjoy!

A Guiding Hand

Wolfswood, 285 AL- Pelinal slowly made his way towards the spot that was marked on his map, pushing past dead branches and looking for a clearing so he could get a better sense of his surroundings. As he finally made his way into the open, he found himself atop a hill, and with quite a sight in front of him. The mighty castle of Winterfell, in all it's glory. As Pelinal took a step closer to him, a blast of cold wind caused him to shiver. The sensation was odd, and foreign to him, as he had rarely had felt this way in his time as an immortal in his past life.

"Odd, in a way it hurts, but more than anything I feel discomfort." The former knight thought to himself, as he moved forward, only for the wind to blow harder. Pelinal then turned to face the direction of the wind, and immediately it began to slow. Believing it to be a sign, Pelinal walked in that direction as the wind slowed or sped up depending if he strayed of the unmarked path he followed. Eventually, he found himself in front of a small cottage, that was in good condition, and well made. Pelinal made his way to the door, and on attempting to open it he found it locked.

"Damn, the key has to be here somewhere." He said aloud as he looks for the key. He walked away from away from the cottage, and made his way to a small drop off that was right above a small stream near the cottage, that somehow managed to stay liquid. As Pelinal approached it, he saw a light glinting off something made of metal. He smiled as he got closer and saw it was the key. Next to it he saw a small baby owl, which seemed to have fallen from its nest in a near by tree. Pelinal went to pick up the key, but startled the chick, who stumbled backwards. As he was about to fall into the river, Pelinal reached out and scooped him up, accidentally knocking the key into the river. As Whitestrake cursed under his breath, the owl cooed and chirped all while moving his head in the direction of the tree, and more specifically the hole in it where its nest was. Pelinal sighed and carried the young bird to the tree, and placed it back in its nest. The owl pushed its head around in its bedding before tapping something with its beak, that let off a metallic noise. Confused and curious, Pelinal reached inside, and pulled out another key. Pelinal smiled and left the young owl alone as he went back to the cottage, and opened the door with the key.

"So this is my home now, it seems." He thought as he examined the cottage, looking over his new abode. It had a bed large enough to fit two people to his right, and a small dinner table with four seats to his left. In the center was a fire place with both a cooking spit and a pot. Pelinal put some logs of wood he had found inside the the fire place, and lit it with a flint he found on the table, so he could get some warmth. He continued looking around, and found a cabinet in one of the corners, with a key and a note, laying on top of a chest next to it. He unfolded the note and read it aloud to himself.

"When you are ready, the light of the Nine shall once again shine upon you." He read, as he used the key on the cabinet. He opened it and nearly fell backwards as he saw what it contained. His armor and weapons, all here in front of him. Pelinal was horrified though as he knew from the moment he saw them they had lost all their divine power. In anger he took the note he had and through it into the fire. He then opened up the chest, and found multiple amulets of each of the Divines. Pelinal picked up the first one he could find, and once again made his way to the fire. As he went to toss it in, he felt compelled to examine it. It was not like the others, as it felt Nordic unlike the others which had a more Nedic feel.

"Shor...father." Pelinal whispered to himself as he pulled his arm away from the fire. He then walked back over to the chest and pulled out the amulets, placing one of each amulet on the wall. He fastened an Amulet of Akatosh to his neck and one of Shor around his left wrist. He then looked under his bed, and found a hunting bow with a quiver of arrows, a small dagger, a purse of money, and a pile of books, all about the history and culture of Westeros and Essos. The Crusader began to read the books, slowly learning all he could about this world, its current Lords, its past heroes and villains, and everything in between. He found himself fascinated at how alike Nirn was to this world in some ways, yet completely different in other ways. There were no Elves or Beast Folk, and magic seemed to have faded from Westeros long ago, but was still seen and prevalent in Essos. This new world fascinated him to no end, and Pelinal continued to read book after book through the night.

Next Morning- Pelinal awoke on the floor, surrounded by the books he had read through. He sat up, and heard his stomach growl, and felt how dry his mouth was. He stood up and grabbed the bow and arrows, along with a bucket for water. He made his way out of his home, and to the creek. He scooped some water into his mouth, and was surprised by how fresh it was. He then scooped up some with the bucket, and brought it back to the house.

"Hmm, I should go hunt." He thought to himself. He walked into the forest, and began looking for animal tracks. He spotted some holes on the ground, and coupled with the droppings near them, led Pelinal to believe their were rabbits nearby. He continued his slow movement, following the small tracks left by the rabbits. He spotted one nibbling on some plants. He quickly pulled out his bow, and knocked and arrow back. Taking in a deep breath he lined up a shot, and while he exhaled he released the arrow, which struck the rabbit through the eye. He walked over to the small animal and skinned it, afterwards he gut it and brought it back home to cook and eat. After his breakfast, Pelinal decided to go exploring some more, and to see if he could bag anymore game. After catching a squirrel and another rabbit, he heard thunder and decided to go back home. Before he could turn back though, he heard shouts and cries for help, coming from the direction of the road.

"What in Oblivion is going on?" He said to himself, as he ran in the direction of the sounds. The closer he got, the more evident it was that fighting was happening, as he could hear the familiar clatter of weapons, a sound that made his blood hot with passion. Pelinal reached the road, and found saw what was happening. Two groups wee fighting, one was dressed in all furs and leather and wielding primitive weapons. From what Pelinal had read he assumed them to be wildlings. He looked to the other, which appeared to be a guard of some type, standing side by side with who the Crusader assumed to be their Lord. The wildlings had the lord and his guards outnumbered three to one, and were slowly encircling him.

"Protect Lord Stark!" One of the guards yelled to his comrades. Pelinal recognized the name from his books, and remembered how Lord Stark was considered an honorable man and a good ruler. Pelinal immediately shot one of the wildlings, and then jumped into the fray, grabbing a fallen guard's sword.

"For the Nine!" He shouted as he thrust the blade into one of the wildlings, before grabbing the hand of another and swiftly breaking it. The Stark guards took advantage of the shock of the wildlings, also attacking them. Lord Stark also fought, killing two wildlings. He turned to face Pelinal, who's fighting prowess impressed and surprised him greatly.

"By the Gods! Who is he?" He exclaimed as Pelinal parried strikes from four wildlings at once. Pelinal grabbed the spear of one of them, and guided it into the stomach of another, before smacking the former in the face with the pommel of the sword., breaking the man's nose. He then parried a strike of an axe, before disarming the wildling in one fluid motion. He turned to face the last one that fought him, as she jumped on top of him. Pelinal used her momentum to push her off, before grabbing the sword and flipping it around. When she lunged at him again, he bashed her on the top of the head with the cross guard, killing her. As the guards finished up the rest of the still attacking wildlings. Pelinal turned to face Lord Eddard, who was approaching him, Pelinal remembered the custom of Westeros, and knelt on one knee, though his pride made it hard.

"My Lord." Pelinal said. Ned smiled and chuckled.

"There is no need for you to kneel, you have saved my life stranger." He said. Pelinal was surprised but happy, and stood up.

"Thank you, my lord. I had heard fighting from the forest where I was hunting." Pelinal responded.

"It's a good thing you came, or my men and I may have lost our lives. May I ask your name?" Ned questioned.

"Pelinal Whitestrake, my lord." The Crusader responded.

"Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, it is good to meet you." Ned said, extending his hand. Pelinal smiled and shook the Lord's hand.

"Likewise, my Lord." He said. Before they could continue to talk, they heard a loud clap of thunder, which caused Ned to frown.

"We'll never make it back to Winterfell before that storm hits." Eddard said.

"I have a cottage near here. You and your men can spend the night if you want, my Lord." Pelinal suggested, pointing in the direction of his home.

"Thank you, Pelinal. Lead the way." Ned answered. Pelinal nodded and began to lead Lord Stark and his guards to the cottage.

Later, at the Cottage- Eddard and his men settled into the small cottage, while Pelinal made a stew out of the game he had killed. Ned found himself curious about both Pelinal, whose white hair reminded him of the Targaryens, and of the strange talismans on the walls. As Pelinal served bowls of stew, Eddard decided to dig into his past.

"I take it you're not from Westeros, Pelinal." He stated. Pelinal didn't say anything for a second, but then sighed.

"No, I'm from Essos originally." He lied.

"Hmm that would explain the hair color. Is that where you learned to fight?" Ned asked.

"Aye, I fought for many years across the Narrow Sea." Pelinal answered.

"So why did you come to Westeros then?" One of the guards asked.

"Well, before I left had just fought in a rebellion of slaves. A good friend of mine, Morihaus, fell in love with the leader of the rebellion, a former slave named Alessia and fought as her champion. Once I heard of the rebellion and his involvement, I jumped in and decided to fight the slave masters as well. After the war I moved here, hoping that my days as a soldier were done." Pelinal said, fabricating a new life for himself.

"And those symbols on the wall, are they from Essos?" Ned asked. Pelinal nodded, as he became comfortable with telling stories.

"Yes, they are the symbols of my gods, the Nine Divines." He said. One of the guards perked up, and began listening.

"Your gods? What are they like?" He asked. Pelinal sighed and gave a long explain of the Nine Divines that he had amulets of. He described the evil and wickedness of Daedra and Oblivion, along with the good and beautiful realm of Aetherius, where the Aedra resided, and where our mortal souls go after death. Only Eddard and the one guard listened, the former out of curiosity and politeness, while the latter seemed truly enraptured. Pelinal's make shift sermon was interrupted by one of the other gods.

"Oh shut up about your gods, crazy foreigner. To Seven Hells with your Shor and Akatosh!" He said. Pelinal turned to face the man, his eyes burning with rage. In one quick motion Pelinal grabbed him and held him up by the neck of his chain mail.

"If we weren't in Westeros I would be braking a lot more than Guest Right in a few seconds." He said angrily. One of the guards placed his hand on his sword, ready to strike.

"Pelinal, put him down! I will deal with my man for disrespecting you in your own home." Ned said. Pelinal sighed and dropped the guard who scurried to the door.

"I'll keep watch." He said, fear evident in his voice as he went outside.

"I apologize for his actions, Pelinal. He will be dealt with when I return to Winterfell." Eddard said. Pelinal nodded, but before he could speak, a scream was heard from outside. Pelinal and Ned ran to the windows, and saw the guard laid dead in front of the door, full of arrows. They saw over twenty figures exiting the forest.

"Wildlings!" Ned exclaimed grabbing his sword. Pelinal sighed and grabbed a key from his pocket, before walking over to the cabinet.

"I may not be ready, but I do need these. Gods guide me, gods guide us all." He said, opening the cabinet.

AN- And that's chapter 2! So glad I am back So in case you don't notice, I replaced Talos with Shor in the Nine, as Talos wasn't around and Shor said to be the original Ninth Divine by Alessia. Anyways, remember to leave a review, and I hope you enjoyed!