Note: In this chapter the spirit of Bran will be interacting with the real Bran. Hopefully it is not very confusing ...
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10. The boy in the capital. (Bran)
No matter how hard I try, I always fail. I tried warning my family but nothing works. Yet, there is one thing that triggers a chain of events that is actually within my power to change. Not only may I be able to save my family if I change this, but I may be able to save myself. I need to stop myself.
I have always loved climbing and clambering the walls of our castle. Sometimes I feel Winterfell was meant to be scaled. Of course, my mother does not agree. She has always hated it when I go climbing. Now I see why ….
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The Royal party has arrived. I see the King step off the carriage and I see the face of disappointment in little Bran. I had heard so many stories of King Robert, how brave and how strong he was, yet the man in our yard is nothing but an old fat drunkard. I see his wife, Queen Cersei. She truly looks the part of a Queen: beautiful and regal. The children are next. Prince Joffrey comes out first, followed by Myrcella and Tommen.
I see myself later that day playing with Tommen and Myrcella. Rickon and Arya are with us as well. They look so happy all together. Joffrey is sparring with my older brothers and Theon. The King and my father are talking and my mother is showing the Queen around our castle. I guess if things hadn't turned out the way they did we could have remained friends and could have all been happy.
I follow my father and the King and overhear their conversation. The King wants my father to go to King's Landing with him and become his Hand after the previous one died. They also talk about Sansa marrying Joffrey. I know she will be thrilled about it.
Bran talks to Ser Barristan one day. I can hear the conversation as he tells my original self about being a member of the Kingsguard, what an honor it is and how, if he trains hard he could become one of them. I see his face light up at the mere notion. Maybe that's what I should do.
The men decide to go on a hunt. All the men are going: my father, the King, Jory, some of the King's guards, some of our guards, they have even invited Robb, Jon and Theon. Bran wants to go but they won't let him. I notice the Kingslayer is not there. Where could he be? Why would he not go on the hunt?
The men are gone. Mother is busy with the Queen and other ladies. Arya and Sansa are having embroidery lessons with Myrcella, and Rickon is showing Tommen around the stables. Bran is all by himself, and I know what he is thinking: perfect time to go climbing. I can see determination on my own face.
Suddenly images assault my mind. A tower. A boy climbing. A window. A man and a woman naked rolling on the floor. An arm jutting out of the window. A boy falling. Silence and darkness. That's me, I suddenly realize! I need to stop myself from climbing.
"Bran, do not climb up that tower!" I say as I stand in front of myself.
"What are you?" I hear myself ask.
"Can you hear me?" I ask him surprised.
"Of course, and you look just like me" he replies.
"You can see me? Are you not surprised or scared?"
"No, why should I be? If you are me, I'm sure you mean no harm."
"I suppose you're right" I smile at him. This will probably be a lot easier than all the other times. I should have done this from the beginning! Why didn't I think of stopping myself?
"Why should I not climb the tower? Will I fall?"
I don't have the heart to tell him what will happen if he climbs, so I just nod. It's a lot easier when the people I interact with can see me! It seems to have worked. He just goes back in the direction of the stables to join Tommen and Rickon.
Yes! I have just stopped myself from triggering a chain of events that would doom not just myself, but my family as well.
Days go by in complete bliss. The King and Queen are always in conversation with my parents. The children bond with each other having a good time: playing with toys, telling stories, singing, riding horses, sharing lessons, and in the case of the older children sparring and practicing archery. We hold feasts, celebrations and hunting trips. Maybe I have actually fixed the future!
There is talk of betrothals now and positions being offered. My father will become Hand of the King. Sansa has been betrothed to Joffrey and she seems ecstatic at the prospect. There is talk of Myrcella being betrothed to Robb and Tommen to Arya. I wish they would take me into account as well. I do like Myrcella. But my parents are also having another conversation. I have only caught small snippets, but they mention things about "confirming suspicions" and "the Lannisters being involved". I don't know what they mean …
My father wants to go to King's Landing with Sansa, Jon and me. Father will be Hand, Sansa will be Joffrey's betrothed and they'll marry when Sansa comes of age, and I will squire for Ser Barristan Selmy. My dreams of becoming a knight are closer to being realized! Jon was going to join the Night Watch, but in the end Uncle Benjen convinced him not to, explaining that new opportunities could open themselves to him in the capital. My mother will stay at home to help Robb become Lord of Winterfell, and Arya and Rickon will stay home with them. As sad as I am about being separated, I think it is all for the best. If everything goes well, Sansa will be Queen and I may even become a member of the Kingsguard.
So it is with mixed feelings that we all say goodbye in the yard. I see mother and father share a long and tender embrace, which is odd, since they barely have open displays of affection. My mother is in tears as she says goodbye to Sansa and myself. My father hugs Robb tightly and whisper things in his ear, most likely some final words of advice. He then lifts Arya and Rickon in his arms and kisses them on their temples. Jon and Robb share a hug and then Jon goes on to say goodbye to my other siblings. My mother and Jon politely nod at each other and wish each other luck. I wish they could have a more tender parting.
Off to the capital we ride.
The journey is fun and entertaining. There are improvised tournaments and a few feasts in the open air countryside. I have to admit, I am having a lot of fun just watching my original self enjoying himself so much. He is always riding with Ser Barristan and learning from his words and experience. I mean to be the best squire ever, and by the time I reach adulthood I will certainly know how to ply the trade and become an honorable member of the Kingsguard.
The stench reaches us before we see the red walls surrounding King's Landing. My father explains that it is a consequence of so many people living in one place. Winterfell has much fewer people, so they create much less smell. He adds that when too many people stay in one room for a long time, the room becomes stuffy, and that the same applies to cities. I suppose it makes sense.
We are led towards our rooms, located in the Tower of the Hand. We share an apartment, but we all have individual rooms. I had never had my own room at Winterfell. When I was very little I slept with Arya and Sansa. Then, when Rickon was born, I moved into another room and shared it with Rickon.
There is going to be a tournament in honor of the new Hand. Jon wants to enter and he suggests Bran be his squire. I see his face light up with excitement. Ser Barristan has decided not to compete so there is no reason why Bran could not squire for Jon. Father disagrees claiming Jon is too young and inexperienced. He adds that one thing is training in the yard with friends and family, and another is going against proven knights in the arena. Still, at Jon's and Bran's insistence, he acquiesces and soon everything is settled.
Bran goes with Jon to see a smith. We have his armour mended and improved, his sword sharpened and polished, his shield strengthened and repainted with the wolf on a grey field with added snowflakes to identify with the North (though Jon jests it is for his Snow bastard status). They are choosing a helmet. Jon wants one that has a visor, but I quickly tell Bran to recommend an open helmet without a visor since the added piece of metal would only hinder his vision. I further explain that since it is a tournament, it is very unlikely somebody will target Jon's face. Bran agrees and soon chooses a helmet for Jon. He looks so confident in his role as a squire that I start thinking that maybe this is truly my fate: to be the best squire and then become the most honorable Knight there ever was.
The tournaments begins. It is a much grander affair than anything I have seen thus far. There is music and dance, stalls with food and drink, little shops that sell arts and crafts. Jon buys Sansa a pin with flowers on it and Sansa gives him a handkerchief she has embroidered herself as a token for the tournament. Jon says that if he wins he will name Sansa Queen of Love and Beauty. I know it is all in jest, but it is fun nonetheless.
The first competition is archery. As an opening act, they have young boys competing. Bran enters the competition, but much to his disappointment he does not qualify to the next round as his arrow goes flying way off the target. But it is not the young boys the people want to watch, so when the real archers step up on to the yard the spectators start cheering. Jon takes his turn and actually qualifies for the second and third round, but that is as far as he can get. In the end it is a Lord from the Vale who wins.
Then it is time for the joust. Jon did not write down his name for this event, so we just sit in the stands next to Father and Sansa. Sansa keeps looking in Joffrey's direction and he keeps waving at her. Joffrey had declined from participating in any of the events, claiming he would only fight when needed and not for entertainment. Sansa had said it was very chivalrous of him, but Jon thought it was cowardly. Father just shrugged his shoulders and said that a smart man knew when to fight and when not to. I'm not sure if he meant Joffrey or Jon…. The jousts prove to be very entertaining with many famous knights making their appearance, though I am a bit disappointed Ser Jamie Lannister is not among the knights competing. The final ride is between Ser Loras and Ser Clegane. Sansa cheers for Ser Loras and is very elated when the Knight of Flowers wins and smiles in her direction. Behind us the King's brother, Renly Baratheon, claps his hands fervently. I didn't know he was so interested in the jousts.
Now it is time for the main event. The melee. Jon is radiant and he looks very handsome in his new armour. Bran is standing by him making the final adjustments to his gear and his weapons. When the game finally starts, I see Bran going to stand on the side with the rest of the squires. Sansa watches with excitement and father with trepidation. It turns out Jon is not a bad fighter after all. He quickly learns how to duck and how to move, how to avoid and how to deal blows, how to block and how to thrust. Not many knights remain now. Jon is up against a knight in a blue armour whose shield I do not recognize. There are so many knights it is difficult to keep track! I have been able to recognize some of the royal guards, Ser Loras Tyrell, the Clegane brothers, some Lords from the Vale I saw my father speaking to, and very few others. Again, noticeably absent is the Kingslayer. I was really looking forward to seeing him fight.
Everything is going well until after a very strong hit by his opponent Jon looses his footing and falls on the ground. He is about to yield and his opponent is about to help him up when another fighter collides with the knight in blue from behind making him fall on his lance. When he gets up I see the blue knight's lance sticking out from Jon's face and when he removes it is dripping with blood. The blue knight looks at my father, confusion and apology written on his face. Sansa is crying. My father mutters something about a visor.
A visor! That was my idea! An idea that I planted into Bran's head and he agreed. And now Jon is dead because of me!
Bran is devastated. He looks at father and Sansa and runs away. I race after him and yell for him to stop. But he just keeps going and going ignoring my pleas. We finally reach the end of the yard and he collapses next to a tent.
"It was your fault!" he yells at me.
"I'm sorry" I apologize.
"Who are you? Why are you here? I thought you meant to help me! I thought you knew!"
"I am sorry Bran. I do mean well, I swear. I do want to help. I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't mean for Jon to …." I trail not really knowing what to say.
"Go away!" he yells angrily at me. "Go away and leave me alone! I don't want to see you ever again!"
I decide to leave him be for the time being. I have failed and now Jon has paid the price. I walk away from his crying form and just wait in the shadows. A few minutes later I see him get up and look at the entrance of the tent he was sitting next to. Strange noises are coming from the tent. Moaning and panting, as if somebody was hurt. He is about to peek inside and I want to stop him. But my curiosity is also piqued. I want to see what is going on inside the tent, and besides, it's not like he will listen to me now.
I walk towards him and stand by his side as he opens the flaps of the tent. There, inside the tent are a very naked Queen Cersei and her brother Jamie. What are they doing? He is lying on top of her and is rocking her with his body. Are they wrestling? If he wanted to fight, why didn't he participate in the tournament?
I quickly tell Bran to close the flaps and run away, but it's too late. They have seen him.
"Jamie, stop him!" the Queen shouts. Jamie wastes no time getting on his feet and grabbing Bran by his collar.
"What are you doing here, you little brat?" he asks.
"Nothing" replies Bran. "I .. I was .. I got lost" he stutters.
"Lost?" the Queen snorts. "Who sent you? Was it Robert? Or was it your father?"
"No, I swear, I got lost. My brother Jon, he was in the melee, and he was fighting, but he didn't have a visor, because I told him not to, I was his squire, and he fell, and a knight hurt him, and I" Bran started to ramble.
"Oh, be quiet you little snot. Jamie, make sure he does not leave this tent"
"What do you want me to do? He's just a child" Jamie replies.
"So? He saw us. Get rid of him" she continues dispassionately.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I won't tell. I swear!" Bran cries.
"Oh, the things I do for love" Jamie says before he runs Bran through with his sword.
As Bran lays bleeding I kneel by his side and take his hand. "I'm sorry" I whisper. …. I close his eyes when he stops breathing.
I have failed.
I have failed.
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Mhh ... well, it didn't work. But he can't give up now, can he?
One more chapter to go ... And yes, Bran will finally figure it out!
Next: last chapter!
If you're still reading, thanks a lot for sticking around :)