So uhh... Happy New Year?
I know, I know! Before you start hurling abuse at me let me just plead my case, please?
I started Uni last year so everything has been a little hectic, especially since I moved away from home to study.
You know how things are; new State, new house, new people, uni life in general? Yeah you get the gist of it.
Anyway, that's my excuse. That and I am unreliable and have horrible time management skills...
For all the time I spent on it, I know it should have been longer but if I delayed anymore I never would have published.
Think of this as an apology. More if definitely on the way! Hope you enjoy!
Oh! By the way, this chapter was un-beta'd; I wasn't able to get a hold of RiStark. Sorry!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones or any variants there of.
3. The Paths we Tread
"Thanks to the efforts of young Shadow, Brandon will live… but only time will tell if he shall heal." said Maester Luwin heavily, his eyes downcast. Brandon was well loved in Winterfell; his near loss was felt by all.
Lady Catelyn was the first to break the silence that hung like fog over the room. "This is your doing!" she growled, turning on Shadow who had hung back near the door. Her voice, though low and barely louder than a whisper, was full of malice. As Ned moved to calm her, Catelyn pushed his arm aside and stalked towards the teen, baring down upon him with the full wrath of a mother.
With a loud SLAP, Shadow's face whipped to the side. The force of the blow was strong enough to throw back his hood and rip the cowl away from his face, leaving his ever-youthful appearance clear for the room to see.
"Brandon would never have climbed that tower if you hadn't of ever shown him how! I asked you to protect my children! Not kill them!" she hissed.
The teen bowed his head, his luminescent eyes dull and vacant of emotion.
"Well?! Do you have anything to say for yourself?" she demanded, her eyes daring him to say a word in his defence.
She was met with silence.
"You have failed me, boy. Just as you have failed this family."
A hand fell on her shoulder, gently pulling her back. "That's enough, Cat." Eddard murmured.
Catelyn spun to face him.
"No! I will not allow you to defend that boy!" she hissed. "Ever since you brought him here you've treated him like one of your own! I will not have it any longer!"
Eddard frowned, staring into Catelyn's eyes for a few moments before turning to Maester Luwin. "Thank you for your efforts, Maester Luwin. Should anything change we shall call for you."
The old Maester nodded in acknowledgement and made to leave. Then turning to his hidden hand, Eddard motioned to the open door. "You too, Shadow. You shall wait for me in the Godswood." He murmured sternly.
Confusion flashed across the teens face, but only for a moment. With a swift nod and one last glance at Bran, Shadow was gone from the room.
Turning back to his wife, Eddard took in her stern features.
"Is that what this is about? Me treating Shadow as though he were family?" he questioned firmly.
Catelyn scoffed, slumping her shoulders and turning her head to the side in exasperation. With a slow shake of her head, she looked back up at Eddard. "This is about the safety of my children." She stressed, "I have never trusted that boy and his recent failure only firms by opinion. Allowing Bran to climb that tower?! Showing him how even? No, that boy has gotten too comfortable in this family; next thing you know he'll be eating beside us at meals." Catelyn shook her head, pacing the room before turning back to Eddard, "He's not one of us, Ned! He's one of your men; a bodyguard at best!"
"Shadow has been serving this family faithfully for almost 19 years, Cat. What happened to Brandon was an accident. No one could have foreseen it, not even Shadow. You yourself heard Maester Luwin; if not for him we may have lost our son."
Catelyn turned away from him. "I want that boy away from my children."
The silence in the chamber was deafening.
"Is that your final word?"
The branches of the Weirwood tree danced in a non-existent breeze, its blood red leaves whispering softly. A single leaf broke off from its brothers and sisters. Drifting in a gentle breath of air, it skimmed across the white bark of its mother but its journey was cut short by a gloved hand.
Pulling the stray leaf back towards him, Shadow caressed its stark red veins with a gentle hand.
Flattening his palm, Shadow held the leaf out into the wind.
"Why…? Why, out of all families of Westeros, did you choose the Stark's; the family which I have come to call my own?" he murmured, watching as the leaf was swept away in the new breeze.
"Have I not been true to you?"
The beads woven through his dark locks clacked and rattled as a cold wind blew in from the North, rattling the leaves around him.
'Hush now, child.' It breathed, 'The young lords fall was the pivot on which history shall change its course; an event which had been written in stone since the dawn of time.'
"…This is why you hid your words from me? To prevent me from altering the future?"
He received no response. The breeze which had been playing with the beads in his hair had moved on. The silence which had fallen over the Godswood was only broken by the rattle of falling leaves.
The time of Robert's Rebellion had long since passed and in that time he had become lax, forgetting the dangers of the world outside of Winterfell. Of course there had been the occasional Willdling and deserter to cross over their boarders but they were no match for Northern Calvary.
No, the treachery and trickery of the royal court held no power beyond the Neck. In the North, respect was earned through deed and the depth of ones loyalty, not with a few yards cloth and coin.
However, like flees on a mongrel, the treachery that flourished in the royal courts had followed Robert from the South, catching Shadow completely unaware and unprepared for the repercussions which followed.
The Stark's were greatly respected in the North; none but the wildlings would dare harm one knowingly. While the cause of Brandon's fall was unknown, Shadow was certain that the young Lord was a victim of a member of the royal court.
"Shadow."
The voice of his lord shook Shadow out of his brooding.
Only a few steps from the base of the Weirwood, gazing up at the man sitting in its branches, stood Lord Stark.
With practiced ease, Shadow jumped down out of the tree and knelt before him.
"Milord Stark. I will accept any punishment you wish to bestow upon me. The Lady Stark was right; I have failed this family." He intoned gravely, head bowed low in shame.
And he had; the young Brandon was his to watch over and protect, along with the other Stark children. While Lady Stark's words had been like a punch to the gut, they rung with truth; he had become much too comfortable around the Stark's; his once fierce guard had dropped.
Eddard's face was grave as he gazed down at the man before him. The conversation to come chewed at his conscience; he knew that the news would either break Shadow or make him stronger. For his own sake, he hoped it was the latter.
Madness had dug its claws into Shadow once before. It was a sight he wouldn't wish upon anyone, not even his gravest of foes.
As the seconds passed, the air around them seemed to thicken.
Blood was rushin through Shadows ears and his heart was beating wildly enough to put a tribal drum to shame. Yet, despite his inner turmoil, he showed no outward sign of distress.
Not until Lord Stark spoke.
"Lady Catelyn wishes for me to banish you,"
His breath caught in his throat. Shadow could have sworn his heart stopped.
"But,"
He released the breath that he was unknowingly holding, clenching his hands into fists to hide the shaking which had taken over his limbs.
"Unlike Catelyn, I believe that you did all you could for my son. Because of that, I have decided that banishment it too severe of a punishment." Ned intoned.
Shadow's spirit could have soared, such was the extent of his relief. "Thank you, Milord Stark." He muttered reverently, bowing his head in respect and thanks. "I vow-"
"Hold onto your vows."
Shadow raised his head in question. "Milord?"
Ned's gaze flickered between Shadow and the pond in unrest before resting on Shadow's face, looking deep into the man's eyes. "The Lady Catelyn and I may not see eye to eye, but she refuses to allow you to stay in proximity to our children. Therefore, I must respect her decision while adhering to my own. I am sending you up to the Wall to watch over Jon. You are to take the Black and do your duty to the Seven Kingdoms. That's my final word."
Barely sparing Shadow another glance, Eddard turned on his heel and left. "The guard will be informed by morning and the appropriate changes made. I thank you for your loyalty and for all you have done for this Household; you are dismissed from my service."
The deathly silence which fell over the wood was unexpected in Eddard's mind. He expected Shadow to at least speak a word of protest or to argue in his own defence, but not a word was spoken. No sound was made.
He regretted having turned around as soon as he glanced over his shoulder; what he saw would haunt him for the rest of his life.
Hollow green eyes stared lifelessly at the ground.
He just hoped this wouldn't break the man.
"But you can't leave!" cried Arya. "You still have to teach me how to use a sword! Look!" she yelled, scrabbling over to the other side of her bed, "Jon even had a sword made for me! Needle!"
"And a fine needle it is," Shadow agreed gently. ", but your mother has forbidden me from staying within the presence of her children any longer. Come morning I will be heading for the wall with Jon and your uncle Benjen. I am to take the Black."
"But that's not fair! You didn't do anything wrong!" Arya yelled throwing Needle into the furs which covered her bed.
"Hush now, less your mother hears us!"
After a few moments of silence in which they both listen for the tell-tail sound of a figure walking over the flagstones in the hallway, Shadow turned back to Arya and pressed a simply braided leather band into her hand.
"You once made this for me when you were very young, I doubt you would even remember doing so anymore. You stood before me and demanded that I kneel down before you and hold out my hand; your brothers looked as though they feared you'd gone mad." He chuckled, "You then tied this around my wrist and very proudly, for the whole hall to hear, said: 'now you are my friend, so you don't have to be sad anymore.' Needless to say you followed me around ever since." He said fondly.
Arya looked down at the band in her hand and laughed, "I'd forgotten! You kept it all these years?" she asked, looking up at Shadow in astonishment.
"Indeed, Little Lady. For you are, and forever will be, my friend."
Arya looked shocked before she quickly swiped a sleeve over her eyes. "I don't want you to go! Who's going to teach me how to fight and help me make fools of my brothers!" she cried.
A sad smile crossed Shadow's face, "We all walk our own paths, Little Lady. Hopefully one day our paths will cross once more. You will have to look after that bracelet for me till they do."
"Now to bed with you! There is a long journey ahead of you tomorrow; it would be no good for you to be exhausted before it has even begun."
Fog rolled thick over the hills surrounding Winterfell as the sun rose that morning. Soon enough the courtyard was alive with activity as everyone made final preparations for the journey ahead.
Shadow stood off to the side as Rob said his goodbyes to Jon.
It seemed to be a mixed occasion for all occupants of the castle; the Royal party seemed relieved to finally be heading back to Kingslanding and eager to get on the road. The Stark household however seemed torn between excitement and reluctance.
As Jon moved to join his father at the gates, Shadow mounted his horse, his chain rattling at his side, and rode forward only to stop at Rob's side.
"Thank you, for everything." Rob muttered, his eyes not leaving the backs of his father and half-brother. No other words were needed.
Shadow simply nodded, "Watch over your brothers now that I cannot. Stand proud; you are the warden of Winterfell, Milord."
Rob turned to gaze up at Shadow in shock. For as long as he could remember, Shadow had addressed him as Little Lord, then Young Lord as he grew older. This new title, one he had only ever heard the man before him bestow upon his father, was a mark of Shadow's upmost respect.
Before he could question Shadow, the man urged his horse forward towards the gate.
The party left the castle in silence, only the clattering of chainmail and weaponry and the groaning of the royal carriage sounded out across the fog-laden countryside.
Winterfell was still in sight when they reached the way post. This was where the two parties were to split ways; Jon, Benjen, Tyrion and Shadow would head North to the Wall, while the rest of the Stark household and the royal party were to head South.
Shadow watched on in silence as Jon and Lord Stark parted ways.
The ill feeling which had been roiling in his gut since news of the King's journey North arrived at Winterfell had yet to subside, and now, as he watched Eddard Stark lead his horse South, the feeling only greatened. He felt that Lord Stark would need him now that he was traveling to Kingslanding more than ever but his dismissal was clear; there was no way to travel South with his Lord without disobeying his wishes.
His instincts screamed for him to go South, but his loyalty to his Lord demanded he followed the last command he had been given; go North with Jon and take the Black.
As he guided his horse North, Shadow could not help but remember the vision shown to him in the night just passed.
The Wolf and the Stag had lay dead at his feet while snow stained with blood flew in from the North and a firestorm approached from the West.
Winter was coming, bringing tidings of blood and fire with it.
Chapter 3 down!
Quite a few left to go...
You will probably all kill me for this, but I have no idea when I will be able to update next.
I know and I'm sorry! The new session starts in February so Uni will be taking up the majority of my time.
I finally know where I'm going with this, at least for now, so I hope that I will be able to update more regularly instead of every year or so.
Please review! Let me know what you think!
This time round could I get a more constructive answer instead of 'good'?
I now know how my parents felt when they asked how my day was at school for all those years.
Thank you for all your support!
Little One