Winterfell
Brandon
Winterfell was quiet that day. The market square, usually filled with merchants, attracted customers and a crowd of its own. People bought goods from across the Narrow Sea and tried to persuade the merchants to sell something themselves. Brandon liked this activity.
'' If you want, I can talk to the merchants for you.''
His brother Benjen said what Brandon wanted to hear.
- I'd thank you for this, little brother, but I have to do it myself.
-Well, have it your way. It's a beautiful day anyway. I wanted to enjoy it before I left.
-Winterfell is yours, little brother. Enjoy it to the fullest. That's exactly what you should do.
Brandon was grinning and Bejen knew what he meant.
-If you mean the brothels, my lord, thank you for that, but I don't want to.
Brandon started laughing.
-You're more like Ned. You always have been.
Benjen nodded his head in agreement as he joined in the laughter.
- But I wish I looked like both of you.
-I'm not sure about that, little brother.
- You can be sure, brother. You always seemed superior to us. You didn't have to do anything. It's a gift you were born with. Enjoy it, brother.
Brandon laughed again.
-One of the Starks should enjoy something, Lord Benjen.
-But I'm afraid I'm no Stark, brother.
- We've talked about this many times.
Brandon's voice began to rise.
-We all had a duty to do for our family. That was your duty. Stop complaining.
-Did I have to leave our household for our household?
-Yes.
Brandon's voice was stronger than ever.
-You think I haven't paid any price?
-You certainly did. But you were in the house. The house Ned and I wanted to live in.
- You think I care about that? I'm not here for power or comfort or to take refuge in the sweet memories of the past like you.
He saw Benjen looking at him sadly. It was not the first time he had broken his brother's heart.
-Listen to me, little brother. Our enemies surround us. Tywin Lannister has invaded the Twins. And the King, whom our dear brother Ned loves more than me, has turned a blind eye. The Boltons tried to invade our home on Tywin's orders. And now they've killed the King's Hand. Don't expect me to stand by, little brother, don't expect me to sit here.
-I can only hope to be there for you. What do you hope to gain by taking me away from our house? Why are you sending me to the Dreadfort?
-The Boltons have been our enemies for years, and I destroyed them. Dreadfort is still full of people loyal to them. You expect me to let you raise the Stark flag there?
-I just want to help you. Let me help you.
-All right. You will take 200 archers and 400 infantry and go to Moat Callin.
-Why?
-Just do as I say. You want to help, so be it.
-Are we going to war?
- That's for the King to decide, not us. If the King doesn't give us what we want, then there will be war.
-That might be premature.
-It's a late decision. I should have marched to Casterly Rock when we finished Bolton. I trusted your brother when he stopped me. Time shows I shouldn't have.
-Why?
-I thought he could control the King. -I was wrong. Tywin does not leave Casterly Rock, but he controls the King and the Kingdom.
- The King needs Tywin's gold. Robert knows that.
-The King needs someone to occupy Tywin's gold mines for him. Maybe I'll be King.
-The lust for power can make you do the wrong thing.
- You think I'm doing all this out of greed for power? I want to protect the North, little brother. I'll protect it from winter in the North, I'll protect it from the shifters in the South.
-All this scares me.
-It shouldn't frighten you or any Stark. We are the wolf, and it's time the others understood that.