Chapter six

Family

It had been a long journey back North with very little chance to actually rest. Justin was sore, tired and must have smelt worse then a giants backside at this point. They were close now though. Justin could imagine the hot bath and warm bed that would await him after so long sleeping in hedges and huddling over the fire in a megear attempt to keep warm. He had imagined what would await him at home. His Mother, his two Brothers and his Father. Would his Father be proud of him? Would his Brothers welcome him back with open arms after being gone so long? How would his Mother react to seeing him as a man grown now?

Justin ran his hands over his face, a beard had began to form on his face now. What started as a simple stubble was now nearly as thick as he remembered his Father's beard to be before leaving. Dexard has spent most of his time alone during the travel. Usually just polishing and maintaining Justin's armour. He made very few attempts to interact with his uncle or the men accompanying them. Justin still continued with his training although the boy was getting better with every passing day Justin worried that he was a poor choice for the boy to train with. When they got back to Eaglesend he would most likely hand off the boy's training to the Keep's Captain, Bernard, if Bernard was still alive that is. Bernard was a grizzled old warrior when Justin was just a boy. Would he still be at Eaglesend or would some terrible illness or injury have finally taken the old man? He had always liked Captain Bernard, he was tough as old leather but he was always kind to Justin as a child.

"We should reach Eaglesend by noon lads, home awaits eh Justin?" Justin turned to his uncle almost unsure what to say or how to feel. "Aye it'll be good to see home again uncle, I've been gone too long" Justin's face told the story better then his words ever could, since leaving he missed home everyday. "Ser, may I have a moment of your time?" Justin turned his head to Dexard nodding. "Ser I wanted to know what will happen to me now? Will you continue to train me or will someone else do it?" It seemed cruel to Justin to not train the boy personally after so long of him training him, but Bernard would make a much better teacher then him. "Captain Bernard will take care of your training, don't worry though, I'll keep an eye on you and help when I can" Dexard's eyes seemed to drop to the floor, Justin could tell he was disappointed but it would be better this way. Captain Bernard was a tough but fair man, he would be far better at making Dexard a worthy and honourable knight then Justin ever could.

As they followed the stony steep road upwards Justin saw it. Home he thought to himself. It looked smaller to him here, but everything looks gigantic when you're a boy he thought to himself. Moss grew along the castle walls and vines grew out of the cracks in the wall. The tower in which his mother and father resided still looked as magnificent as it had when he left. He saw the tower where the Armoury was, where he and his brothers would sneak around and play in. He remembered Captain Bernard scolding him once about playing in there. His father had sent him to his chambers as punishment for that. He cried nearly the rest of the day until the Captain had brought a sweet roll into his chambers. "Little Lords don't cry" he had told him. "You're born of the North and Northerners are hard as nails" he wondered how his life would have differed if he had stayed here. He knew he would never have met Rina, but what other possible outcomes could have awaited him? How many more times would he have been punished for sneaking into the Armoury? How many adventures would he have had chasing bandits off of their lands?

He felt as though he had missed so much travelling South. His Brother Danard was most likely promised to some fair maiden now. He would be lord of Eaglesend and Justin would simply be a sworn sword of his. "Halt who goes there?" Justin looked up to see multiple men on the battlements pointing their bows down on them. "The white walkers and all their minions, who else would it be Bernard?" The men lowered their bows and that's when he had seen the old Captain. "Gods be good Darrick. You could have sent word you were coming, we would have rode out to escort you" Uncle Darrick turned to Justin with a wry smile. "That would have been unnecessary Bernard, I had my own men with me and a sworn Knight by my side" his uncle patted him on the shoulder as a young man rushed to the gates to let them in. Justin spurred Thunder into a trot coming to a stop in the courtyard. Captain Bernard approached as Justin dismounted from his horse bending a knee. "My Lord may I be the first to welcome you home, you have been missed" Justin smiled as the grizzled old soldier patting him on the shoulder as he rose to his feet. "Justin, you're home" his mother ran across the courtyard wrapping her arms around him. "Mother you have no idea how much I've missed you" She ran her hands over his beard tears almost forming in her eyes. "Look at you, I sent a boy away and Darrick has returned with a man" Justin's face began to turn red as he looked around those assembled in the courtyard. "Where's father and Danard?" His mother stepped back a few steps to take a full view of him now. "They've been visiting Lord Manderly he plans to wed Darnard to one of his Granddaughters, but they should be back by the time we have dinner" Justin smiled at his mother but part of him was worried, Lord Manderly had two Granddaughters, what if he planned to wed the other to Justin? He tried to shake the thought from his mind but it persisted no matter how hard he tried. "Mother we're exhausted from our travels and I need a nice hot bath and a shave, will you have one of the servants draw a bath for me?" "Of course you go and rest I'll see to it immediately" Justin smiled and hugged his Mother once more beginning his journey toward his chambers and the long climb up the steep steps.

Justin stared from the window taking in the sites of home as the maid filled his bath. As he looked off into the distance he thought about the prospect of marrying one of Lord Manderly's Granddaughters. It was said that Wynafryd Manderly was a brown haired beauty like no other. But that wasn't what he wanted. He wanted Rina it was her his heart belonged to. "M'Lord your bath is ready" Justin turned from the window approaching the bath. "Thank you, you may go" the maid curtsied and left. Justin began to take his clothes off he had been traveling for so long it seemed like his tunic had sewn itself to his skin but he was able to get it off. He climbed into the bath and began to scrub his body. Bits of mud and dried shit turned the water black in minutes. He dreaded to think what colour it would be once he had washed his hair. He called in Dexard telling him to cut his hair and shave his beard. They spoke a while about how things would change now they were in the North. Justin spoke of how a Squires life is harder for most and that he had treated Dexard better then most would. He told him that Bernard would push the boy harder then Justin ever could and he should prepare himself for far more bruises and aches then he would usually have. The door almost burst open once Dexard had put down the razor causing the boy to almost jump out of his skin. "There he is in all his glory My little sparrow" Justin stood up his brother Danard was far louder and taller then he remembered him being. "Danard, you know I hate that bloody nickname, but it's good to see you brother" Justin stepped across the room hugging his brother and patting him on the back. "Aye it's good to see you too, although I should call you big sparrow now, look at the size of you, you're nearly as tall as Father" Justin smiled he had great memories of his Brother save for the nickname. "Aye, I heard you have a wedding planned eh? One of the Manderly girls I hear" Danard seemed to want to avoid that subject so went onto another subject. "You'll need some clothes won't yeh? Can't wear those awful things on the floor, come on I'm sure I've got some clothes that'll fit yeh" Danard took large strides down the hall his boots booming with every step as Justin followed him.

Justin fastened up a grey wool doublet and brown trousers to himself. They were a bit small for him but they would suffice. His brother had continued to call him little sparrow as they spoke. A nickname Justin hated with a passion. It had started one day as a child younger then 9 he was training with a wooden sword and shield and said one day he would slay an Eagle like his ancestor Tormund. His brother laughed and said the only thing he'd be able to kill was a little sparrow and so the nickname stuck with him until he left, and now it had come back to him. With an outfit now ready Justin would finally see his father again, he'd finally see and hear what his father thought of him now as a man grown. He wondered what adventures now lay ahead for him. Maybe his earlier dreams of war and death and twin castles would come true. Although now all he was focusing on was getting food into his belly.