DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN GAME OF THRONES OR ANY ASSOCIATED CHARACTERS
Hello everyone! Here's the latest chapter. For those of you who may have read the original story, I have changed some things so far, so I hope you're all paying attention. Also, for those of you wondering, Austin and Edric did not take Dawn with them. While it may seem stupid, I do in fact have a plan for it in the future, which will be much more satisfying than the pair of them starting with the sword. That being said, I hope you all enjoy! Drop me a review if you have some time!
Chapter 4
Austin emerged from the inn and saddled his horse as the village slowly became more active with the sunrise. Bronn was waiting for him astride his horse, a playful grin on his face as he watched Austin.
"What's got you so cheery this morning?" Austin glowered.
Bronn's eyes flashed with amusement. "Oh, just the fact that you'll avid your daily dose of getting your little highborn arse kicked."
"Pardon me if I haven't slept in a real bed in months," Austin said, his voice laden with sarcasm.
Bronn only shook his head. "I grew up on the streets, boy. You think I had a bed of me own?"
Austin sighed. He often got nowhere when it came to complaining to the sellsword. He was simply a man who had no sympathy to offer. The pair turned their eyes to the young Edric as he emerged from the inn as well. His hair was disheveled, and he had bags under his eyes that shouldn't exist in a lad of his age.
"The road can be hard for children," Bronn offered. "Especially when we move as fast as we have been."
Austin's brow furrowed with worry when he observed Edric, who had finally learned to saddle his own horse after weeks on the road with Bronn. "At least we'll be able to move at a more relaxed pace now that Lord Stark has joined us with his men," the young Dayne said, jerking his head towards the northern lord, who was conversing with Ser Rodrik.
Bronn raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You're a fool to believe that he actually cares about you."
"What are you talking about?" Austin asked.
"Men who have seen war like he has usually don't have much compassion left. It's guilt that's driving him, you can see it in his eyes," the sellsword imparted.
Austin let out a bark of laughter that sounded hollow even to him. "Lord Stark's an honorable man, we all know the tales of his sense of duty," he said, but it was too late. The seeds of doubt had already been planted. And if that was true, then what did Lord Stark have to be guilty of? There was only one practical answer.
Austin's first thought was of how massive the castle of Winterfell was. Starfall is an impressive castle, but Winterfell put it to shame. The ancient seat of the Kings of Winter, the massive stone walls and high towers were said to be imbued with magic. The only castle Austin had been to that was this big was Harrenhal, but that was just a pile of melted stone while Winterfell stood proud in all its glory.
With their more leisurely pace, it had taken them three weeks to reach Winterfell from the Crossroads Inn. Edric had benefited greatly from the reduced speed and lack of danger, the bags under his eyes having all but disappeared. As the pair rode through Winter Town behind Lord Stark and Ser Rodrik, the common people assembled along the edges of the street, welcoming their ruling lord back to his home.
Whatever the Northern people lacked in charm and wealth, they made up for in resilience and determination. As a whole, the North was larger than nearly all of the Seven Kingdoms combined, and just as wild as it had always been. This bred a special type of people, ones that thrived in yearly cold, and winters so brutal that entire castles became buried under mountains of white powder.
It was also clear that the view of a ruling lord was the same everywhere. As long as your people were fed and sheltered, they cared not for who ruled over them. It was comforting to Austin to at least have that one familiar aspect, even if he wasn't at all familiar with his new surroundings.
When the small band of riders passed under the portcullis and into Winterfell's courtyard, they were greeted with another crowd of people, only these were Lord Stark's very family and court. At the forefront stood a thin redhead, a small boy standing on her right, only rising just above her knee in height. Behind them, an older woman was mirroring her with another young boy.
At the head of the party, Lord Stark quickly dismounted and approached the redhead and the young boy. It was at this point that Austin remembered Lord Stark's bride, Catelyn Tully. The Stark family quickly greeted each other before Lord Eddard turned and beckoned to Austin and Edric. The air dismounted, and Austin chanced a look over his shoulder at Bronn, who tilted his head and raised his hands, revealing his opinion.
Taking a deep breath, Austin strode towards the Stark family, bowing shortly to the trio. "My lady Catelyn, allow me to introduce my younger cousin, Edric Dayne, and I am Austin."
The Stark matriarch smiled warmly. "Welcome to Winterfell, my lords. Come, let us get you something to eat, you must be famished."
"We would be grateful, my lady," Austin smiled, the former Tully's bright, cheery nature a welcome sight compared to the gloomy and bland personalities that characterized the majority of the northmen.
Austin steered young Edric along, following the Stark matriarch into the main hall, where several platters of food were being set on the long, wooden table. Austin eagerly sat down and dug into the hot food, allowing it to seep into his bones and remove the cold that had been present for the past few weeks.
He was concentrating on savoring the delicious meat when he was brought out of his thoughts by the noise of the toddler. "Papa!" it squealed.
Austin attempted to bite back his laughter. "And who might this be?" he asked.
Lady Catelyn smiled. "This is my son Robb. My firstborn. Hopefully more will follow," she said, laying a hand on her belly.
Austin nodded. "And the other?"
"What other?"
"The boy that was with the older woman," Austin said.
Lady Stark's eyes darkened. "My husband's bastard, Jon Snow."
"Apologies, my Lady, I meant no offence," Austin said hastily, holding his hands up. He hadn't realized that Lord Stark even had a bastard, though now that he thought about it, he did remember the northern lord carrying a baby with him when he'd rode into Starfall that day.
She shook her head. "No, it's nothing, I apologize as well." It was clear that Catelyn wasn't fond of Jon, and one couldn't blame her. Lord Stark had broken the most fundamental vow of marriage. He had lain with another woman, and produced a child from that, further dishonor to his wife. From a man who cared an awful lot about honor, he had a strange way of honoring his wife.
"I hope for a healthy life for you and your children, Lady Stark," Austin said shortly.
"As do I," she replied.
Austin spent the rest of the meal in silence, grateful for the Stark hospitality before excusing himself from the hall, leaving Edric in the capable hands of the Lady of Winterfell. He made his way back out into the courtyard, where he spotted Lord Stark in deep conversation with Ser Rodrik.
As Austin approached, he could make out small snippets of their speech.
"...It's not as if I can just ride down and besiege the castle. It's on the clear opposite side of the damn continent. Besides, it would be an act of war, pitting one Kingdom against another."
"My Lord, the King may be able to intervene and help the situation."
"Not likely, Dorne isn't likely to forget that Robert caused the death of Prince Lewyn. Besides, they aren't likely to bow to anything less than a military victory, and no one has ever conquered Dorne. It is truly its own country…"
All conversation ceased as the two became aware of Austin's presence. "What is it, Austin?" Lord Stark asked.
"I was wondering if I might trouble Ser Rodrik for some training," the young Dayne hinted.
Lord Eddard smirked before turning back to Ser Rodrik and jerking his head. The veteran warrior nodded, turning towards the nearby armory, leaving the Stark Lord alone with Austin.
"How do you find Winterfell, Austin?"
"It is quite the sight, my lord," the Dayne nodded, his wariness of Lord Stark now in full swing.
Lord Stark looked amused. "We don't stand on ceremony in the North. In truth, you think the North a barren wasteland compared to the vibrant rays of sun in Dorne, correct?"
Austin's guilty expression caused the Stark patriarch to let out a soft chuckle. "I thought as much. Don't worry lad, most that come here think the same, and you cause no offense."
Austin nodded his thanks to the lord as Ser Rodrik returned to them, this time carrying two sparring swords. "My lord," the knight said, offering Austin one of the swords.
The Dayne accepted it eagerly, grasping the hilt and testing the weight. He stepped back and looked to Lord Stark. "May I?"
The northern lord motioned towards Rodrik, taking a few steps back. "Please."
Austin gave a few practice swings, deciding that it was well balanced. He would have to commend the smith later for putting such thought into simple sparring swords. Tucking the blunted blade underneath his arm, he removed his sword belt and hung it on a nearby wooden post before returning to stand in front of Rodrik, who had mirrored his previous action.
Austin knew that Rodrik had the advantage in experience and age, as well as strength, but Austin had his youthfulness. In truth, he had the shorter end of the stick.
Rodrik's steel sang first, aiming a strike at Austin's torso. It would seem that the northerner had underestimated the Dayne, as the strike was slower then Austinw as expecting. As such, he deflected the blade by batting it to the side, throwing Rodrik off balance, and reversing his momentum to hold the point of the sword at Rodrik's neck.
Surprise was etched all across Rodrik's face, as well as Lord Stark's. It was clear that neither of them had expected Austin to be so skilled with a sword. He gave a small smile of satisfaction as he straightened, allowing Rodrik to recompose himself.
This time, they started much slower, as Rodrik began to step around Austin, the two circling each other. Then, as sudden as a flash of lightning, the two blades met between them, a sharp clang echoing through the courtyard. Both retreated, then darted back in for another strike. Rodrik's blows had the strength of what seemed like a bear behind them.
Austin felt himself giving ground tot he knight's more experienced, and now more serious assault. But still, at the age of thirteen, he seemed to be chocking everyone present, having attracted the attention of a small crowd of the inhabitants of Winterfell. With each meeting of he and Rodrik's swords, he felt more and more confident. Here he was, holding his own against a battle-hardened knight at only thirteen.
Yet even as he thought that, he felt a sharp sting of pain as the flat of Rodrik's blade smacked into his wrist, his sparring sword falling from his grasp. Rodrik's blade flashed towards Austin's chest, and he knew he'd been defeated. But when he looked up, he saw no smug look of triumph in Rodrik's face, only wonder, and a modicum of respect.
The echo of applause began to fill the castle as the spectators gave their approval of the match they'd just witnessed. Lord Stark's own hands seemed to make the loudest sound, and he approached as the crowd began to disperse.
"You are full of surprises, young Austin. There are only a few men in the North that can hold their own against Ser Rodrik, and you did so for quite a while, lad," the Warden of the North praised.
"Lord Stark gives me too much credit, but you have a natural talent, lad. You'd be a fool not to see it. Give me a few years, and you'll be the best swordsman in the North," Rodrik promised.
Austin bowed his head, humbled by the words of the two men, proud warriors in their own right. "Perhaps one day, my Lord Stark will allow me the pleasure of sparring him as well."
The northern lord twitched the corner of his mouth. "Perhaps one day. Best Rodrik, and I shall consider it."
Austin slowly opened his eyes to study his surroundings. He'd woken up in a massive feather bed with several pounds of fur put on top for warmth. Austin removed himself out from under them and sat up. Rubbing his eyes, he guessed it must be mid morning, judging from the sounds coming from the courtyard below the open window.
Slowly, the son of Arthur Dayne rose to dress for the day. Sometime in the night, a change of clothes had been brought to him, and laid across the foot of the bed. Austin changed into the northern clothes, feeling strangely at home in them, as if he were meant to wear them. It was a simple, thick leather tunic under a cloak with fur on the shoulders, accompanied by fur-lined boots.
So I'm an honorary Stark…, Austin joked to himself.
Stepping out of the massive room, he made his was alone the stone corridors, descending the winding flights of stairs before exiting into the courtyard. His muscles were still sore from his sparring session with Ser Rodrik. The veteran warrior certainly was more practiced than the Master at Arms of Starfall, that much was certain. Though it was to be expected, as the North had just won a decisive victory in Robert's Rebellion. No doubt a vast majority of the surviving soldiers were battle-hardened and experienced.
Out of the corner of Austin's eye, he saw a young warrior tie a brown corded bag to his horse's saddle before mounting up. "Bronn!" Austin called.
The sellsword's head turned to see the approaching Dayne. "Well, you were right, fancy lad. Lord Stark paid me, so now I'm off to the next job."
"Just like that?" Austin asked, bewildered.
Bronn nodded. "Aye, just like that. I'm a sellsword, lad. I sell my sword, I don't loan it out to everyone that needs help."
Austin nodded. Truth be told, he rather enjoyed the sellsword's humorous, carefree demeanor. Oddly enough, he was going to miss him. "I can't say I'll be glad to see you leave."
"Who are you kidding? You're back in your familiar surroundings," Bronn motioned to the castle around them. "Don't think you belong with the sellswords just because you've traveled with me for a bit."
As Bronn mounted his horse, Austin crossed his arms. "I suppose that this is goodbye, then."
"Aye. See ya 'round, fancy lad," Bronn said before clicking his heels and trotting out the gate, never looking back.
Austin nodded, to himself now, more than Bronn. "Aye, you'll see me again. I'm sure of it."
Once the sellsword had passed through the gate of Winterfell and out of sight, Austin turned and headed towards the Great Hall, where he found Edric breaking his fast with Lady Catelyn and young Robb. Austin ate with them, speaking only when spoken to, before grabbing Edric and excusing them as politely as possible.
He took his cousin up to his room, closing the door behind them. Edric looked confused. "What is it, Austin?"
"Do you like it here, Edric?"
"It's cold, nothing like home," Edric revealed. "But they seem like nice people."
"They do," Austin nodded. "Lord Stark has said we are to be his wards, how do you feel about that?"
Edric grinned. "Does that mean I get to tease little Robb some more?"
Austin allowed a small smile at that. If one person could be happy in this place, he supposed that he should be grateful that it was Edric.