Thanks to Milarqui, for managing not to go mad by fixing up the grammar and ortography!
Disclaimer: I do not own Gamer of Thrones or Elder Scrolls
Chapter 4: To the North
On the River Road, towards Cloud Ruler Temple
"Thank the gods. Now that we're far away from Casterly Rock, I will take extra time to enjoy the company of some lovely lady without worrying about my father," Tyrion stated as he took a drink from his wineskin.
William could only laugh at his uncle's comment.
"I'm afraid that you won't find what you're looking for at Cloud Ruler, uncle. You'll have to try your luck at the Crossroads Inn. You didn't have to accompany me to meet your father."
"And leave my favorite nephew to face my beloved father all alone? Granted, I was not present when you met with him, but someone needed to be there to help ease the stress of meeting Tywin Lannister for the first time," Tyrion replied. "He is a man who sets high expectations towards everyone he meets."
William and most of his family had, a few weeks before, set out on a travel to know some places. First, they had gone to Dragonstone, to meet with Stannis Baratheon, and from there they had sailed to Storm's End. William had spent most of his life in King's Landing, so he was glad to be able to visit new places, particularly when they were castles, as he loved to imagine himself trying to defend or take a fortress.
While they were at Storm's End, his uncle Renly had suggested that they all accompany him to Highgarden, the main city of the Reach. Cersei did not want to, but between the four siblings - probably the first time he and Joffrey had agreed on something - they had managed to pressure her to accept the invitation, so, from Storm's End, they had sailed around Dorne, then to the mouth of the Mander, and finally they arrived to the beautiful city and its wondrous gardens. It was also there that William had his first meeting with the members of the Tyrell family.
He did not think too highly of Lord Mace Tyrell. The man acted as if he had achieved much in life, and he thought highly of his self-importance, but William was not convinced one bit.
Willas, the heir, was very different to his father. Although crippled in a tourney encounter with Oberyn Martell, he did not let that color his feelings, and he proved to be intelligent and kind.
Ser Garlan the Gallant and Ser Loras, Lord Tyrell's second and third sons, were very similar in expression, and both of them were very skilled in weaponry. William was surprised in the latter case, because Loras' armor was adorned with flowers that did not exactly shout "swordsman", but, nonetheless, Loras was quite capable with a sword in his hands.
It was, however, Margaery Tyrell who William first noticed when he entered Highgarden. He could not deny that she was one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen. However, after the introductions were finished, Margaery proceeded to ignore him and his younger siblings entirely, focusing her entire attention on Joffrey. While observing the two of them interact, William realized that Margaery was as clever and ambitious as beautiful, although not very subtle, because it was clear to him that she had every intention to try to become Joffrey's queen in the future. William had to admit that, had Margaery focused on him instead of Joffrey, he would have fallen for her advances.
He had then turned his eyes away from them, only to find himself staring straight into Olenna Tyrell's eyes. The elder woman was carefully, observing, almost analyzing, him, and William, who knew of her reputation as the Queen of Thorns, was sure that she was trying to figure out how he might affect any plans she had. In the end, after staring at each other for a few moments, Olenna finally gave him a knowing smile and turned away.
The very next day, they prepared to return to King's Landing, as Cersei claimed they had been away from the capital for too long and that they had to return at once, but William could tell that his mother disliked the Tyrells. He could not really blame her, as they all seemed to be plotters to him, not that his own family was any better on that part.
However, just as they were about to set out towards King's Landing, several riders wearing Lannister colors had arrived to Highgarden and informed the Queen that her father, Tywin Lannister, had asked to see his grandson William at Casterly Rock. Cersei had agreed to travel to her homelands, but she was surprised when the Lannister men revealed that Lord Lannister had only sent for William, and no one else.
So, as the rest of his family returned to King's Landing, William rode north towards Casterly Rock, with only the Lannister men, the Blades and his uncle Tyrion accompanying him. Tyrion had initially joined the travel in order to 'not miss out on the chance of spending the night with different women of different kingdoms', but now he had chosen to accompany William to Casterly Rock, even though there was no love between him and his father.
William shook his head as his thoughts turned towards his grandfather. He did not want to think about their meeting, which he was sure had not gone very well, particularly after it became obvious that his beliefs clearly clashed with Lord Tywin's.
"If you didn't indulge yourself as much as you do, Tyrion, I'm sure you would get along better with Lord Tywin."
So spoke Kevan Lannister, Tyrion's uncle and Lord Tywin's brother. Kevan had joined William, Tyrion and their entourage when they left Casterly Rock, stating that Tywin wanted him to personally deliver a message for the King. Tyrion had described Kevan as a yes-man who always went along with Tywin's orders, and, based on what William had seen, he had to agree.
"A pox on that!" Tyrion replied, before turning to William. "Hear that, nephew? Some people just don't appreciate the finer things of life."
"That's a matter up for debate, uncle. I can't say I completely disagree with Ser Kevan."
"Oh, you wound me, Will. I need to get you a girl before you become all stuck up, like so many of our family tend to be."
Margaery Tyrell's face briefly flashed in William's mind. He turned away, hoping that his uncle wouldn't notice, but, alas, it was not to be.
"Ahh, I see you already have a girl in mind. May I ask who this young lady may be?"
"There's no point in mentioning her, uncle, because she was only interested in Joffrey. Besides, I am not certain that she is my kind of person."
"You're thinking of the Tyrell girl, aren't you?" Tyrion asked. William sighed at being so easily read by his uncle.
"You're correct in thinking she's not the kind of girl for you, Prince William," Delphine said as she rode up next to her lord. "Most of these highborn girls wouldn't be compatible with you, my Prince. You need a woman who is strong in a different way from most of them."
Delphine, after swearing her loyalty and that of the Blades to William, had started to spread out the word that the Order was being reformed, so that the surviving Knight-Brothers and Knight-Sisters of the Blades knew to return. They were not as young as they used to be, but, still, they returned to Cloud Ruler Temple from across the Seven Kingdoms, glad to be out of hiding. Initially, William had been skeptical of their promises of loyalty, but eventually, after spending several weeks with them, he was convinced that he would never have to question any of those that had considered serving him a noble cause after he brought them out of the shadows. For William, the most notable members of the Blades (besides Delphine) were Captains Steffan and Renault, Loremaster Esbern, Acilius Bolar, Fultheim and Caius Cosades.
Captain Steffen, Delphine's second-in-command, was in charge of Cloud Ruler Temple whenever William and Delphine were absent, and also took care of many organizational duties within the Order. Meanwhile, Captain Renault was the Knight-Sister in charge of the Blades' chapter stationed in King's Landing, the one that provided William's bodyguards whenever he was in the city. William still remembered the day they had both arrived to Cloud Ruler: Delphine had them both help her in one of William's training sessions, which had consisted of him desperately fending off attacks from the three of them at the same time. That night, he had not even bothered to change out of his clothes, because, as soon as he fell into his bed, he had fallen asleep.
Esbern was an old man that reminded William of a maester, and not without reason, as he was the Blades' Loremaster: he held an enormous amount of knowledge in his mind, and was probably the person that knew the most about the Order of the Blades in the entire world. When Esbern was not trying to pound as much of that knowledge as possible into William's mind, he was trying to commit it to books and parchment rolls, to ensure that people in the future would be able to learn what he knew.
Acilius Bolar stood out to William because he was the only survivor of Aerys the Mad's attack on Cloud Ruler Temple. Just before the Mad King ordered the catapults to haul wildfire jars into the temple, Grandmaster Jauffre had ordered Bolar to slip out of the temple through a secret passage and to report the temple's destruction to the remaining Knight-Brothers and Knight-Sisters, so that they knew they had to hide away and wait. When Bolar learned that the temple was being rebuilt, he had arrived to Cloud Ruler and marched straight to William, falling to his knees and stammering out his thanks while he asked the Divines to bless him. William felt pity for the man, as he had been forced to see the destruction of the temple without being able to do anything, and now he was glad he would be able to see its rebirth.
Fultheim was the Blades' Forgemaster, and had been out of the temple when it was attacked. Upon learning about it, he had gone to the North and spent most of his time at an inn, trying to drink away the bad memories. But then, he learned about the revival of the Order and came back to resume his duties. His importance to the Order was great, for he was the only person alive that knew the secrets of how to forge the famed Blades' Katanas. Unfortunately, he was getting old, and Delphine had informed William that they had to find someone that could apprentice to Fultheim, so that the Forgemaster could pass on his knowledge before he died. So far, they had yet to find someone Fultheim would be willing to teach, but they held hope.
Finally, Caius was the most mysterious member of the Order. That was, probably, because he was the Blades' Spymaster. Back when the Blades served the Targaryen kings, they were not just their master swordsmen bodyguards, they were also agents who sought out the royal family's enemies and learned their secrets. When they broke off with the Kings, they used those contacts to carry out the jobs they were hired to do. And, currently, the Blades still maintained a spy network, but, according to Caius, it was well behind in spread and efficency respective of Varys' and Baelish's own networks, but Caius was working to fix that.
Meanwhile, Delphine was the one that spent the most time with William, as she was bent on instructing him in the Way of the Sword. She never held back on him, and William went to sleep every night with new bruises. He never took this badly, though, because it allowed him to improve his skills, and he honored her by doing his best into learning everything she taught him.
"You are quite correct, my beautiful swordswoman," Tyrion said, earning himself a glare from Delphine. "William needs a woman with a strong will, lots of spirit, and a wild nature, one that can throw him onto a bed, hold him down, and ride him for all he's worth."
William blushed a little at his uncle's comment and just turned his head away, urging his horse ahead as laughter from his uncle and his guards reached his ears.
Fortunately, they were finally reaching Cloud Ruler Temple. William could already see the hundreds of legionaires that were going through their drills and formations, and the columns running along the roads as they did their daily marching routines. It would still be, at least, a year before they would be ready for combat, but the training was coming along very well.
As William rode past them, many legionaries would stop their activities and salute him, a salute he always returned. From the beginning, William had done as much as possible to get involved with the legions by meeting the new recruits and, whenever he had the time, partaking in the training even though he was only ten. His popularity was growing among the Legions, particularly after he allowed High Priest Rorlund to set up a temple at Cloud Ruler, to house shrines to the Nine Divines. That, combined with the fact that William himself was a follower of the Nine, had resulted in a surprisingly high number of recruits converting to the Divines: according to Tullius' estimations, about ninety percent of the Legions now worshipped the Aedra.
The company soon reached the new fortifications that were being added onto Cloud Ruler. It would still be several years before they were finished, but William was glad to see that the masons were making excellent progress. Kevan observed the area with interest.
"You've expanded the fortifications quite a bit, my Prince. You have decided to add an outer wall... no... wait." Kevan paused and stared with widening eyes as they looked further into the fortress. "Am I seeing this right? You're adding two, no, three walls?"
William merely turned his head and grinned at Kevan. Delphine, General Tullius, and he were the only ones who knew the full details of the fortress, and when they became a reality, Cloud Ruler would be one of the most impregnable places in Westeros.
The first wall, named the Earth Wall, would be forty-feet high, and would have multiple bulwarks extending outwards from the wall. These bulwarks would have ballistae or catapults placed on them, helping to fend off any attackers that tried to get close to the wall.
The second wall, the Mountain Wall, was placed about thirty feet behind the Earth Wall. This wall was sixty feet tall, but the difference between this wall and the Earth Wall was even greater due to the hill that Cloud Ruler stood upon. Instead of bulwarks, the Mountain Wall would have fortified towers that would be large enough to have catapults placed on them as well. The extra height of the Mountain Wall and its towers would make it so that, even if the Earth Wall fell to invaders, they would be sitting ducks for archers placed along the second wall, and the catapults would also have incredible range, far superior to any siege equipment an invader would have.
Finally, the third and last wall, named the Sky Wall, would be about midway between the Mountain Wall and the Temple keep. The Sky Wall would also be sixty feet high, and it would also possess fortified towers armed with catapults that could safely launch their boulder fire over the outer walls, due to the hills extension.
Even the weakest point of the walls, the gates, would be turned into strong points. There would only be one gate per wall, and two additional walls would be placed on either side of the gates, forcing any invader that tried to reach the Mountain Wall's gate to follow a large twisted path while being attacked by archers from the Earth and Mountain walls, as well as even more on the additional walls to their left and right. It was, simply put, a death trap.
William had done everything he could think of to make Cloud Ruler even more impregnable than before. Fifty Blades had managed to defend just the Temple keep against several thousand men for several weeks. Who knew how long ten thousand legionaries defending three walls and a keep against any number of enemies would last.
"Once again, my Black Prince, you leave us simple minded people in awe if your imagination and creativity. I tip my wineskin to you," Tyrion said with a chuckle.
William smiled at his uncle. Tyrion always seemed to get William to laugh about the world.
"I'll meet with General Tullius and Captain Steffan and get a report right away. We'll head south to King's Landing in the morning, so don't let yourself get too worn out tonight, uncle."
"I would enjoy meeting any lady who can achieve such a goal. Despite my small size, I am more than capable of matching any number of wenches you try to throw at me, Will."
"I'm tempted to meet that challenge, but I know you're just trying to trick me to pay for your evening, uncle," William said as he figured out Tyrion's game.
"Saw right through me, eh? Oh well, I still have plenty of my father's gold I can spend in his absence. I'm glad to see your remembering some of my lessons. Cheers, Will," Tyrion replied before taking another swig from his wineskin.
William just laughed. He was happy to enjoy his uncle's company, and he hoped that the following days would continue to present these happy moments.
The Red Keep, several days later
King Robert frowned at the message he held in his hand, and then at his wife Cersei and her uncle, Ser Kevan Lannister. When his son had returned from the Westerlands, he had not expected him to bring Ser Kevan with himself, and much less that he would be bringing a message.
"Tywin Lannister wishes to have Will foster at Casterly Rock? Why?" he demanded.
"My brother sees potential in the boy. He wishes to have Prince William stay and learn from him in the Westerlands so as to groom him to become his heir," Kevan answered honestly.
"This would be a great benefit to the royal family and the kingdoms, my love," Cersei said sweetly.
"What about the dwarf? Is he not Tywin's heir?"
"Lord Tywin has not officially recognized Tyrion as his heir, so there's nothing to prevent him from naming Prince William as heir in his place. If he proves himself, that is," Kevan replied.
"William is already a lord. I've named him lord of Cloud Ruler despite his age."
"There's no reason William can't become lord of Casterly Rock and Cloud Ruler, my husband." Cersei kept her tone a pleasant and loving one, in an attempt to help influence Robert. "My father did serve as Hand of the King for twenty years. Perhaps he can educate William to become Hand one day as well. In fact, I'm sure of it."
"You were quick to protest my suggestion to have Joffrey fostered under Ned Stark in the North. Why are you so eager to let William be sent away?" Robert half asked and half accused.
"Joffrey can learn everything he needs to know about being a king here, in King's Landing. There's no one who can teach William to be Hand of the King better than my father."
Robert huffed at that. He may not be the best king, but he knew what changes William would go through if he went to Casterly Rock. He did not care that Tywin had played an important part in securing the Iron Throne for him: he just did not want his favorite son to become a scheming lion.
Suddenly, Robert had a flash of inspiration.
"I have made my decision. I will allow William to be fostered away from King's Landing," he carefully said. "Kingslayer! Go and fetch Will! Bring him here at once."
Jaime Lannister bowed and left the room. Cersei and Kevan both wore smiles, and Robert knew that it was because they believed they had won, but he would have the last laugh. Moments later, Jamie arrived with William.
"You sent for me, father?" William asked.
"Yes, Will. I've been speaking with your mother and Kevan here, and it seems that Tywin Lannister wants to have you fostered under him, so that he may groom you to be his heir. What do you think of that?"
William stared in surprise.
"I don't think my meeting with him went very well. Our opinions on most everything we spoke about clashed too much. I would rather not go, father."
"William!" Cersei said in a scolding tone. "My father will be able to teach you much about being a proper lord. You may now be lord of Cloud Ruler, but you're still a child. You will obey your father."
"Anyway, I made my decision before, Will. Your opinion doesn't change that."
Hurt shone in William's eyes at his father's words. After everything he had accomplished he was still going to be sent away to someplace where he did not think he would belong.
"As you command, Your Grace," he said, frostily. Robert flinched at this. William only called him 'Your Grace' when he was upset with him.
Be patient, son. I have yet to tell you the good news.
"Don't look so down, Will. This is for the best," Robert stated while Cersei smirked in triumph. "Will, in two days, you shall travel north and foster under my good friend, Eddard Stark."
"What!" Cersei shouted as she and Kevan jerked their heads towards Robert. "But you said..."
"I said that William would be fostered. I never said where he would be fostered."
Cersei and Kevan opened their mouths to protest but Robert cut them off.
"Enough! My decision stands. Since you do not wish for Joffrey to be sent north, I will send William instead. Now go. I need to speak with Will in private."
Cersei stormed out with a venomous look on her face, and Kevan and Jaime followed her. Now that they were alone, Robert turned towards his son, who was staring at the ground with a frown on his face.
"Will, I know that you don't wish to leave, but Ned is the most honorable man that I've ever met. As you do not wish to go to Casterly Rock, I will send you to the North, and I am sure you will enjoy it. It is a tough, but beautiful land."
After a moment, William finally raised his head.
"I believe you, father. It's just... it's just hard for me to leave like this."
Robert placed a hand on his son's shoulder.
"I know, Will. It was the same for me when I was fostered under Jon Arryn, but this will help you grow into a man, and I trust Ned Stark to help you in this."
Two days later, William was about to leave the city, and was saying goodbye to his family. Cersei barely gave William a hug before she stood back next to Joffrey, who was secretly happy that his brother was leaving. Myrcella and Tommen, however, were openly crying as they hugged William, and he returned their hugs with a heavy heart until they were pulled away from him. With a last farewell, William and the dozen Blades that would escort him turned and began the long journey north.
The Kingsroad, Northlands, several weeks later
William and his group had finally reached the Northlands, and, at the end of the day, decided to stop at an inn for the evening. He was eager to rest after a long day riding, and also wanted to find something to fill his belly.
"Face it, Isran, there aren't any lords who are going to just simply give us the necessary materials needed to repair Fort Dawnguard."
Hearing that, William glanced behind him, and saw that the one who had spoken was a woman with maroon hair, carrying a crossbow on her back. She was next to two men: one of them had thick red hair and a large beard to match with a battle axe on his hip; the other man had darker skin - which made him think that he was from the far south - a shaved head, a large black beard and a powerfully built body, and carried a large warhammer.
"Sorine is right," the red-haired man said. "We will just have to try to earn the funds ourselves, if we are to revive the Dawnguard."
The second man, who William guessed was Isran, raised his head to glare at both of his companions
"And how do you propose we do that, Gunmar? Should we join the Vigilantes of Stendarr? Or become a Fighter's Guild? The Vigilantes will never help us with their dislike of me, and the Northlands already have the Companions as a Fighter's Guild. Our best bet is to just find a patron for the Dawnguard."
"A noble would only aid us if the Dawnguard swore loyalty to them, which kind of defeats the purpose of what the Dawnguard was created to do, to aid the Night's Watch."
"Then... then we will just have to keep searching," Isran said, before returning to his meal.
William thought about what the man had said. He remembered reading about the Dawnguard, some time after his uncle Tyrion first encouraged him to read more.
Thousands of years ago, the Thirteenth Lord Commander of the Night's Watch was seduced by what many believed to be a White Walker woman. He had declared himself the Night's King, and had enslaved a good part of the Night's Watch. It was the Dawnguard, a group of knights with a base somewhere in the mountains south of the western end of the Wall, that convinced the King in the North and the King-Beyond-The-Wall to ally together to defeat the Night's King. The Dawnguard had spearheaded the assault of the alliance that defeated the Night's King.
After the battle, the knights of the Dawnguard had dedicated themselves to aiding the Night's Watch, even though they never took the Black Oath themselves. However, as the centuries passed, the Dawnguard had slowly disbanded, as the White Walkers passed into myth.
"Excuse me," William said to the group. "Did I hear you correctly? You're trying to reform the Dawnguard?"
The woman, Sorine, glanced at the boy who spoke up.
"That's correct, young one. Why do you ask?"
"I'm curious as to why you are, since the Dawnguard was disbanded thousands of years ago."
Sorine and Gunmar responded by looking at Isran. Isran stared at his plate for a moment as he debated whether to explain to the boy or not. He did not think he should, as the story was not one you just tell to children, but, for some reason he could not fathom, he began telling his story.
"Years ago, I was a member of the Vigilantes of Stendarr. One day, I accepted a mission that took me along with a good friend of mine north of the Wall. While we were there, my friend Tolan and I... encountered something." Isran paused a moment before continuing. "One moment, everything was fine, but then it felt like the air itself was freezing. I only got a glimpse of the creature that killed Tolan, I don't know what it was. Then, after that thing left... Tolan's body suddenly stood back up with a wound that showed a hole through his chest. He came at me raising his weapon. I bashed him to pulp with my warhammer, and still he came at me. Finally, I stuck a burning torch right into that hole that was in his chest, and after a few moments of wriggling around he finally stopped moving.
"I fled all the way back to the Wall. I could actually hear something following close by as I ran. I could even feel its breath on the back of my neck just before I broke free of the trees in front of the Wall." Isran then looked straight at William with accusing eyes. "Neither the Night's Watch or the Vigilantes believed what I told them. They thought it was just a group of Wildlings, and that I was a coward."
"Was it White Walkers you saw?" William quietly asked.
Isran didn't answer for a moment.
"I don't know what it was. All I know is this: whatever it was, the Night's Watch won't be ready for it. They need the help of the Dawnguard. More than just the Dawnguard. I just need to find a way to give them that help."
William contemplated what he heard for a few moments.
"I don't know if the White Walkers do exist, but I do know that all legends and myths are based off fact. If there is some sort of threat north of the Wall, then we'd be fools to ignore it." William then stood so he could face them directly. "I will help you. I will be the Dawnguard's patron."
Sorine and Gunmar both gave William a dumbfounded look. Isran merely stared. For a moment, in Isran's eyes at least, the boy of about ten stood taller than any man he had encountered.
"And how will you do this, boy?"
"Because I am William Baratheon. I am the Black Prince."
Winterfell
"I hear they call him the Black Prince because he wears nothing but black."
"Will you shut up?"
Eddard Stark, often referred to as Ned, let out another sigh as he heard his daughters bicker. Winterfell had been buzzing with activity ever since a raven arrived with a message from the King, announcing that he wished for his second son to foster in the North.
Even in the North, they had heard tales of the Black Prince. Eddard wondered just how many were true. How could a young boy help create a royal army? Well, he would get his answer soon.
Finally, after several minutes, he got his first look at the Black Prince. The boy definitely looked like a young Robert, with black hair and blue eyes. Apparently, the rumors about his clothes were true, since they were all black. The only thing that was not black was the yellow symbol of House Baratheon.
Behind the Prince rode about a dozen men and woman, all of them wearing an armor that identified them as members of the Order of the Blades, a woman wearing robes with a small bag slung over her shoulder, and three more people wearing matching armor that had the symbol of the Dawnguard on its chest.
"Those are the Blades! I heard they are some of the best swordsmen there is!" his daughter Arya exclaimed.
"Shut up, Arya!" Sansa, his eldest daughter, replied angrily.
Eddard winced. He hoped that the prince did not hear his daughters.
As William dismounted, Eddard and his household lowered themselves to their knees and bowed. William walked straight up to Ned.
"There's no need to bow to me, Lord Stark. I am not my father. Please stand."
Ned did so, with his family doing the same.
"Welcome to Winterfell, Prince William. We are honored by your presence."
"It is my honor to meet you, Lord Stark. My father speaks very highly of you," William answered. "And I am honored to be here in your home. One look at this place and I can already say that I like it."
"Thank you, my prince. Allow me to introduce my family."
"Of course. I'll be happy to meet all of them."
As William met each of the Starks, he could not help but think that they all looked like one joyous family. William felt a little envious of them.
Catelyn Stark seemed a bit strict, but she had a warm, motherly smile as she greeted William. William knew that she had been born under House Tully in the Riverlands, which was where Cloud Ruler stood.
William liked Robb Stark. He seemed slightly unsure of himself, but responded well to William's greeting. William was sure that the two of them would get along well.
William surprised them all when he greeted Jon Snow and Theon Greyjoy. Jon did not expect the prince to even acknowledge him, since he was Eddard Stark's bastard son, but William told him that he did not judge a man by his name or title, but by his actions, and he expected Jon to do well for himself in the future. Theon was hesitant to return the greeting, but eventually decided to do so. William hoped that he could mend any grudge between his family and Theon's. There was enough dislike between the great houses as it was.
One look at the eldest daughter, Sansa, and William could tell that she seemed like other highborn girls he had met. She was beautiful, but she acted all prim and proper like other highborn girls who just wanted to swoon at knights in armor.
Arya Stark was about two years younger than William. She gave him a quick greeting but didn't say too much, as she seemed interested in his Blades, but she wasn't watching them like most girls do. She seemed awed and excited for different reasons. William did not know what to think of her at the time.
The two youngest children, Bran and Rickon, were acting like most children did. Bran was watching both the Blades and the Dawnguard with wide eyes, something that reminded William of his own brother Tommen, while little Rickon, who had barely reached his second nameday, was being held by his mother. He was shy at first, but perked up when William gave him a warm smile and patted his head.
After all the introductions were made, Ned had personally shown William to his new room. As William prepared himself for a welcoming feast, he began thinking about what the future would hold for him. He was worried about living in Winterfell for years to come, but perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. The Starks seemed to be a kind family, and he hoped he would get along better with them all.
Several days later
Arya grimaced as her arrow missed the makeshift target again. She had been tired with the knitting lessons Septa Mordane had been giving her, and neither her nor Sansa could not understand that she found all those lessons about how to be a proper lady boring. She wanted to learn how to use a sword, a bow and other weapons, but her mother would never allow it. Which was why she had snuck out of the lessons, swiped a bow with some arrows and then set up a target for her to shoot at, but she was not having much success.
Arya frowned while thinking of her mother's words. Why couldn't she learn those things? There were women among the Blades, and Arya heard that the Legions even allowed women to sign up. Who cared if she was a noble? She wanted to do join up too!
She angrily fired another arrow, which flew way off target.
"You missed."
Arya gritted her teeth, not even bothering to look at who spoke to her.
"I never would have guessed. Whoever you are, go away! I'm busy!"
"Busy missing your target? Or aiming at everything around the target?"
"I don't need your..." Arya stopped as she turned around to see Prince William. "I... I'm sorry, my Prince, I didn't realize..." She trailed off in embarrassment and didn't look at William.
William smiled at her.
"No, I should apologize, I shouldn't have mocked you." He then raised an eyebrow at her. "Aren't you supposed to be at lessons with the Septa right now?"
Arya answered by looking at her feet.
"Oh I see. You ran away," William said with a grin.
"No, I didn't. I just... yes, I did slip away, but it was just so boring. I hate trying to knit things," Arya replied with slightly red cheeks.
"I've never knitted before, but it can't be that bad."
"It is for me. I overheard the Septa tell my mother that I have blacksmith's hands."
William blinked. Then he frowned in anger.
"That was very rude of her. If she says things like that, then maybe she shouldn't be teaching anything. Just because you are not good at something doesn't mean she should say such things."
Arya smiled at that. At least, someone was willing to listen to her plight.
"Here," William said as he suddenly stepped up to her. "Let me show you how to use that properly. Widen your stance a bit. Stand sideways too. When you draw your bow bring it all the way to your cheek or more preferably your ear. Hold your breath as you aim and don't take too long to shoot." William stood next to her as she drew the arrow back. "Sight along the arrow. Release."
She let the arrow fly and to her shock and joy it stuck almost exactly in the center of the target.
"Beginners' luck. Try again."
Arya stared at him in surprise, before she quickly grabbed another arrow. She let it loose and once again she struck her target.
"Not bad," William encouraged, "but don't get too excited." At her confused look, he continued. "You may be able to hit the target, but you still have a long way to go. Most targets in real life will probably be moving, so you will need to practice every day if you want to get any good."
Arya frowned for a moment but then brightened up.
"Just wait and see. I will be the best there is."
William smiled.
"That's the spirit. Just keep practicing."
Arya smiled back.
"Thank you, Prince William."
"Just call me Will."
"You seem to have a talent for teaching, my lord."
Both Arya and William turned to see Delphine leaning against a building, watching them.
Arya eyes lit up.
"You're Delphine! The Blades' Grandmaster!"
Delphine smiled at the girl's excitement.
"Indeed I am. In service to Prince William of House Baratheon, and no one else."
"Can I join the Blades?"
William and Delphine stared at the Stark girl in surprise. Neither of them had been expecting that.
"You're a very blunt person, aren't you?" William grinned. Arya just glared and stuck her tongue out at him.
Delphine however, looked thoughtful.
"Honestly, I think you would fit well in the Blades, but it's not that simple. Not just anyone can join the Blades."
"But could I become a Blade? What does someone have to do to join?"
Delphine hesitated before answering.
"As I said, it's not that simple. In theory, anyone can join the Blades. From the poorest beggar to the King himself. In reality, however, we are very selective of who we allow to join."
"Why?" Arya asked.
"One of the reasons is our sword style. It is very different from any other style in the Seven Kingdoms. Most knights who are middle-aged or older have learned more traditional ways used by knights. Hence, most of our members are very young when recruited, since they can learn our sword style better. Some are noble born, but many are not."
"How do you go about finding potential members, Delphine? I never asked before," William questioned.
"Sometimes, a Knight-Brother or Knight-Sister would find someone who showed potential, but most of those who were recruited were found by Caius."
"Who's Caius?" Arya asked.
"Another Blades' member. He's not here." William didn't want to reveal Caius's position as Spymaster, but it made some sense that his spies would help find those with the potential to become Blades.
"Then I could join!" Arya said with excitement. "If you just say so, then I can start learning. I know I'll do well."
"I truly believe you would make an excellent member of the Blades, Arya Stark," Delphine said in a sad tone, "but I would need permission from your parents to make you an apprentice of the Blades."
Arya's heart fell. She knew that her mother would never allow it.
"Don't look so sad, Arya," William said. "You're more than welcome to watch us train. There's no harm in that."
"And how does that help?"
"You'd be surprised. I once watch two Blades, Fortis and Pelagius, spar once at Cloud Ruler Temple. I learned a few moves just by watching them for a few minutes. Plus," William whispered while leaning close to Arya, "I can explain things to you about a move or a stance, and the reasons why they help. You can learn a few things without upsetting you mother."
Arya grinned. Perhaps Will was right. She could learn some things.
"Thank you... Will."
"Anytime, Arya."
Delphine couldn't help but smile at the scene before her. These two would get along very well. Delphine was being honest when she said she wanted Arya to join the Blades. In fact, she wanted to take Arya as her own apprentice. Perhaps she could in the future.
"I'm a little surprised you want to help me with this, Will. Most highborn girls don't like this sort of thing."
"I know that. That's why I like you, Arya. It's because you're different."
Arya blinked in surprise. No one ever said anything like that to her before. She shook her head and laughed.
"You're a weird person, you silly stag."
William grinned in return.
"Right back at you, wolf girl."
Chapter End
Q & As:
ww1990ww: William will feel the effects of both Varys and Baelish. But it's in the future.
Vasun05: I suppose I did spoil more than I should have but I felt it would help establish William's character.
Agailius: Thank you for your advice, I will keep it in mind. I try to correct mistakes but they just keep appearing. I didn't choose a name like Willam or Willas because I knew I would constantly misspell it. I keep having to look up how to spell names of characters in game of thrones. I almost named my OC Edward after the historical Black Prince. But in the end I stuck with William because it just seemed to flow better with me.
Ether walker: You gave me a lot to think about. I hope this chapter answers some things for you. As for the rest: I did think about calling the Imperial Legions the Royal Legions at first but I felt that it might cause some confusion if I did as there from Elder Scrolls. It's true that Westeros is a kingdom, but it is seven kingdoms ruled by one man: to me, it's practically an empire in all but name. I do plan on just referring the Imperial Legion to just 'the Legions' from now on, so I hope that helps.
About the metals of weapons and armor, based on what I learned, Valyrian steel is considered to be the best metal used for weapons in Westeros. We haven't yet seen how it matches up to the Others, though we have seen them shatter normal blade through sheer cold (to my knowledge). Obsidian, obviously, is dangerous to the Others, but it is rare. Ebony from Elder Scrolls will be present later on, but I still need to think about how involved it will be. It, too, is very rare (unless you buy it the game). The Daedra and the Daedric armor, too, may not be very involved in the story, but I will think on it some more. Hope I gave you some answers.