260 AC
On my eight and ten nameday I arrived at Winterfell. It was not as big as some castles I saw in my first, or second live, but gigantic all the same. The difference between the castles from Earth, or Azeroth and here was the fact that Winterfell had arable land and an actual forest insight the walls. Already my thoughts drifted to its defenses, how they managed logistics during a siege and such. Only Tyrs Hand had arable land inside its walls and it was not much a castle, but a fortified location of the Order on the east coast.
Shaking my head to clear it from such thoughts I arrived at the maingate.
„Who are you, traveller?" asked the guard.
„I am Thomas, Son of Theoden and First Paladin of the Order of the Silver Hand. I ask for an audience with Lord Stark at his earliest convenience."
The guard talked to another and left. He seemed to have notified someone important, because after a moment I was led in.
„Your horses you can give to the stableboy, Lord Stark will see you momentarily" and the guard walked away with another taking his place.
The Keep was not fancy, but well maintained. I spotted a broken tower, but did not stray as I kept my pace and entered the main keep, following after the guard. I hate to wait for half an hour, as a merchant was talking with Lord Stark about something.
Someone announced me to Lord Stark and I entered the hall.
„Lord Stark" I said as I went forward and introduced myself. „I am Thomas, Son of Theoden and First Paladin of the Order of the Silverhand."
„I am Lord Rickard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Lord Paramount of the North. Here are bread and salt." I ate it as he waited patiently. „Why did you wish to see me Ser Thomas and what is the Order you spoke of?"
„Lord Stark, this might be unusual, but can you clear the room or find a more secluded place? I do not want everything I tell for the hole North to hear at this moment. All will be revealed soon enough."
The guards were nervous, but Lord Stark was intrigued. „Leave us" he declared. No minute later and we were alone with only one guard at his side.
„This is Ser Cassel and I trust him with my life" he nodded to the guard.
I took a stool from a nearby table and sat across him.
„Very well Lord Stark, where should I begin? Hmmm" I touched my short bearded chin „I think the easiest way to prove some things is to just show you. This might be irregular, but please bear with me. Sir Cassel please use your dagger and cut my palm please"
„WHAT?!" Both exclaimed. Shit, how to safe this?
„Trust me on this one Lord Stark, I promise all will be revealed"
Ser Cassel took his dagger and cut my palm open. The blood dropped onto the ground. „Now watch please Lord Stark" I channeled the Holy Light to heal my wound and after my hand glowed with a golden light my hand was healed. Both men were shocked.
„What sorcery is this?!" demanded Lord Stark to know.
„No sorcery whatsoever Lord Stark. I channeled the Holy Light, but please do not confuse it with the blasted light of the seven."
„And this light healed your wounds?"
„Aye. I asked the Holy Light to heal and cleanse my wounds. The difference, Lord Stark, between the ideals of a Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and a Paladin are not that big, but the biggest and most crucial is the usage of the Holy Light. My family was murdered under guest rights by a knight in the reach. A paladin could never do something like that, because he would diminish his connection with the Holy Light and would no longer be able to use its might. My mentor Uther the Lightbringer did teach me everything he knew and as he is no longer with us, I am the last of the Paladins in all of Planetos and I need your help."
I told him about how I travelled the kingdoms and the sorry state it was in. How most small folk knew tales like my own and how they suffered, because no one cared. I told him about my fears about the Long Night and added some tales how Uther taught me „old legends" of the Order about a scourge that threatened to devour the living. It was a deliberate lie, but a necessary one, I thought.
I told him how I wished to rebuild the Order of the Silver Hand anew in the North to not only help the people and improve their livelihoods, but to strengthen the North, to prepare as best as possible if a fight against the encroaching darkness would break out.
Our discussion lasted for more than three hours. My „ultimate move" was my notebook with many ideas and some knowledge I had already spread throughout my travels. To confirm my claim, I asked him to simply send some trusted people down south and check for tales of my deeds, or ask the smallfolk in the North themselves.
During said discussion I showed him the paper I made the notebook with, some drawings of waterwheels that could be built in nearly every town, or village with a river.
The machines to improve farming were a major point to convince him, I thought later.
After all I said and healed his own bleeding hand, he was more open to my idea. The real shocker for him though, was my armor and sword. He was now more eager to work with me. I told him I knew how to produce cheap quality steel. And how to create glass.
I promised him I would teach women what I knew of medicine to improve health and prevent more still- and childbirths.
I also wanted to warn him about the maesters, as it reeked of a hidden plot, but had no prove right now and he did strike me as a man, who needed physical proof.
After our discussion I was given his general approval and led to a guest room.
We would convene later, again and talk more in detail.
The next morning I went to the training field and started my sword training.
„You are rather skilled, but your timing seems to be off. Care to explain?"
I looked around and found Ser Cassel.
„Apologies, I was rather focused. The sword is a weapon of necessity, not favorability. I am more skilled with a Warhammer, but have not yet been able to make one myself."
„You forge weapons?"
„Yes, I learned it under a friend of my mentor."
„Can I see your sword?"
„Of course"
He did swing it around a bit and gave it back with an acknowledging nod.
„A nice blade, well balanced, but what are those runes for?"
„Ah, those are special. In simple terms they make the sword better. The runes are an old language, like the runes of the first men."
Ser Cassel then bid me to follow him to Lord Starks solar.
„Lord Stark"
„Ser Thomas"
„Please Lord Stark, I am no knight and never want to be. Just Thomas is fine for me"
„As you wish. Come take a seat, please"
„After you, Lord Stark"
Lord Starks solar was spacious, but not overly so. His desk was full of papers and a big sword hung on the wall behind him. „Ice" he told me, his ancestral sword.
„May I inspect it, Lord Stark?" I asked and indeed it was more like mithril, than steel, but not quiet. Hmmm. How to work with it? I had no idea were the raw material came from.
I needed to speed up my game, a lot. How could I get the support of Lord Stark? The decision to improve the North was paramount, if the threat of White Walkers turned out to be true. Lord Stark did not have much time for me, but his Maester had a lot of questions regarding my notes. We often spend time in the Library, where he would read my books and debate. Wether the desired effects I proclaimed to be real, was a question, which we waited to be verified by riders, who had travelled south to check my „boasts".
We discussed some more and a week went by. I would train with the men in the morning and go to the library, or the lords solar in the afternoon. We had much to discuss, so we three ate often dinner in his solar, together. Our talks afterwards lasted often until sundown. After staying for ten days in Winterfell I was called to his solar, again.
„Thomas, I will be blunt. You are an enigma to me. I have asked my people to gather information about you. The people told some tales. Tales about a man traveling the land, fighting evil, while rescuing damsels. Thomas the No-knight they call you." He continued.
„A figure of justice and the people, you may be, but you are no noble. So tell me, Thomas. What is truth and what is a mummers farce? And most importantly what exactly to you want from me, to seek me out like this?"
So I told him AGAIN of my travels, of the people and what I did. I told him about my Idea of a settlement, or castle for my order with a standing invitation to all who had a connection to the light. The goal for me was to restore the Order of the Silver Hand, because I believed we were needed in Westeros.
The information, that people of the North were MORE connected than the southerners were enlightening for both of us in different ways. I had my speculation that it was the „First Men" blood, but was not sure. Three day later we spoke again. The air was heavy and Maester Walys and Lord Stark looked at me with an unreadable expression.
Lord Stark began to speak with a sombre tone.
„Thomas. I want to help you. Seven Hells your ideas are mind-blowing and could bring forth a century of prosperity for the North, but I just can't trust you. You are a complete stranger and despite your intentions I do not see realistic change possible. Despite my mistrust, I am not a blind man and it is clear to me, you are very driven. The question remains, though. How to utilize your knowledge is the question we need to ask us. Do you want to travel the land? Help each lord? Each town? This would take years. Or do you want me to write down instructions for each of my bannermen?"
Lord stark was not much older than me, but already the Lord Paramount, after his parents died due to a small pandemic which killed half the staff in Winterfell. His oldest son was just born and his wife pregnant, again. Despite his „youth" he was a true lord to his people. Even the nobles in Lordaeron could learn from him.
„I want to travel the North, yes. I want to prove to you that I can do, what I promise. My goal is still the Order, though. Maybe after a year, or two I will have accumulated enough merits for you to give me land? I have heard of the abandoned Gift and New Gift, but as it belongs to the Nights Watch it is not feasible to concentrate on it right now, maybe later, though. What I truly need from you, Lord Stark is endorsement to be allowed to travel."
The western coast north and south of the Stoney shore seems like an ideal location. How it fell to near ruin after House Fisher was wiped out by the Ironborn is a tragedy. I was more than willing to take responsibility for such a region to help improve the lives of the small folk. Maybe Lord Stark would grant me this boon, later on?
We haggled some more and in the end it was decided. I would travel throughout the North to help and improve the living conditions of the people. If what I did truly changed the lives of the smallfolk for the better, he promised me I would be granted lands, depending on my performance. In the end he looked me in the eyes and grunted softly:
„Hmm..do it. Travel the land, help the people and share you knowledge with the Lords and smallfolk. I will write you a letter that shows I am the one, who sent you on your quest. It should placate the lords and ease your traveltime. I will also send a guard with you. If you can accomplish what you say you can I will elevate you to a masterly house. The western coast has currently no ruler, mayhaps you are of use there. But first I need to educate you. You may behave like a noble, but you are severely lacking in knowledge about nobility and your conduct is not appropriate. My maester and I will teach you all you need to know to not offend every northern House during your travels." I thanked him again and we shook hands. And so my live in the North began.