Brynden Blackwood 292 A.C

His namesake was said to have a thousand eyes and one, however, he had only the two with which to keep himself safe. As his father's heir, he had the honour of joining him in his morning prayer at the base of the heart tree. Brynden's eyes, both a pale red, stared frightfully at the flock of ravens still roosting within the dead weirwood's embrace as it would not have been the first time he'd been caught unaware by a projectile from above. After that, he'd learnt to keep both of his eyes open.

"Come son, let's break our fast, it'd be a shame to miss the cook's porridge this morning." Tytos said his face now more relaxed after finishing his prayer, Brynden wondered if the power of the Old Gods was truly as helpful as his father made it appear.

His father strode off briskly out of the wood as he did every other day and Brynden followed dutifully at his side. No more words were said between the pair, both hungry and ready for a warm meal, even though it was not considered of the north, Raventree Hall was cold often. He wondered had it been colder when he was born during the last winter. The past 9 years had been considered summer by the maester's standards.

It wasn't long until the large dark oak frame of the door into the great hall blocked their path. Already inside he could hear his three siblings arguing as they did every morning before his father arrived. As the heavy set doors scraped open his family was revealed seated at the high table as was their right as the lords of Blackwood vale, lower down maester Ambrose and some of the rest of the house staff had found themselves seated on the long table on the right of the hall while the guards took the left side of the hall as their own. The large fire in the centre of the room allowed some respite from the chill outside.

Brynden allowed himself a few moments beside the fire before following his father up the stone steps and taking his seat between his father and his brother Lucas who was turning eight in a week's time much to the boy's excitement. Their meal was eaten in silence as it had been for as long as he could remember, it was only afterwards conversations began springing up on the table, Brynden overheard Lucas bragging to Hoster about how it would not be long before he could join the arms classes at the castle as it would be another 3 moons until Hoster came to the age at which their father allowed them to begin learning to wield weaponry. Mother disappeared almost as soon as her food was gone as she needed to attend to both Alyn and Bethany who were still not old enough to feed themselves.

Hoster and Lucas both took off running out of the hall with maester Ambrose attempting to keep some form of control over the two boys, Brynden was surprised his father allowed such behaviour outside of the family's private spaces but when he met his father's eyes, he could tell they both found the sight to be a humorous one. It wasn't long until his father also left the table heading to his solar to go over the day's proceedings and the everyday running of the lands his family controlled. Brynden took the opportunity his solitude provided him and jumped down from the high table and sat with some of the guards hoping to catch some stories from long ago, something he was disappointed not to find before he was dragged away by the large and heavy hand of his uncle Aeron out into the courtyard for his lessons.

His uncle pointed to the racks of training swords. "Hurry up boy! The fight waits for no man!"

Brynden scowled but followed his uncle's order anyway, he'd felt what happened when he did not take his lessons seriously enough, his brothers' had no idea what they were in for when they came of age, he thought to himself. They circled each other until his uncle tapped the floor thrice with his wooden sword, the sign for the fight to begin. In and out Brynden lunged, parried and thrust but nothing seemed to shake his uncle, he was seemingly too powerful, composed and experienced for anything Brynden did to be of effect. What was probably but minutes later Brynden fell to the floor, sweat pouring down his head and his usually dark hair now shiny.

His uncle's hand soon clapped him on the back. "Well done lad, much better than last time, we'll make a warrior of you yet, mark my words nephew."

They sat together for a moment beside the trough of water with which Brynden dunked himself into and was slowly drinking from until his uncle rose once more with his sword, break time now apparently over Brynden followed his uncle's example grasping his sword in his hand once more. The cycle of him slowly exhausting himself and recovering continued for an hour before his uncle let him go on to his next lesson of the day. This was one he needed no extra motivation for, he greeted his other uncle Dorian warmly before rushing to pick up a bow and a quiver of blunted arrows. His uncle took his time instructing him on how to improve his stance and his draw but there was much less need for instruction when it came to archery, ever since a bow had been put in his hand, he'd loved the feeling of letting loose an arrow. Perhaps he got it from his uncle, Brynden wondered, after all during Robert's rebellion the previous generation of Blackwood's had made themselves known as an imposing trio, his father Tytos the brains, uncle Aeron the sword and uncle Dorian the bow. An example Brynden hoped he could live up to.

After his lessons in arms, Brynden was to report to his father's solar for his daily lesson in Lordship, however, he found it to be more like he was a glorified cup-bearer for his father and their guests. It was during one such meeting that he entered the room, quickly manoeuvring around the table to stand over his father's right shoulder as was protocol for the houses of Westeros he was told. Across from his father sat one of the guards who was reporting the murder of a girl from the nearby town of Honeytree, the guard's eyes quickly flickered to his own before looking at his father for permission to continue.

Tytos nodded. "Anything you would say to me, you can say in front of Brynden, spare no detail Jason for the boy best get used to them if he is to be any lord at all".

"Yes my lord, the girl was found some leagues down the river washed up on the banking, her father found her after searching for a couple of days, from first inspection she was killed with a sword, the guards have seized the culprit and we hope he can be tried at the nearest time".

"Aye lad, I'll follow you back to Honeytree, best to get this sorted out quickly so the family can begin to grieve sooner, go on now Jason I'll be along soon".

The guard, Jason nodded. "My lord".

Brynden glanced at his father the question eager in his eyes. His father just nodded seemingly no words needed to convey his silent question. Eagerly Brynden sat across from his father, this would be the first time he would get to leave Raventree Hall, something he was most excited about after nine years of being confined to the one setting Brynden's mind had begun to dream of distant lands and foreign people and while Honeytree was only a couple of hours ride from the Hall it was something he was excited for none the less.

"Father, how come you have to go and oversee all of these trials?"

"Son, we hold a responsibility to our people to ensure justice is served, that is our role as Lords, to place the security of our people above our own".

He just nodded in response, his father's words giving him much to think about. His role as Lord firstly, was something Brynden had always questioned whether or not it was something he wished for, he knew deep down he would have to take up the mantle of Lord Blackwood once his father died, something he prayed would not happen nearly every day at the Heart Tree.

"Go and tell Aeron to ready our horses Brynden, we ride within the hour, take the rest of the time to say goodbye to your brothers and sister, I'll meet you at the gate son, don't be late".

"Yes, father"

Brynden, once out of his father's sight, took off down the corridor cheering as he went, he burst through the door and out into the courtyard joyfully whooping as he ran to find his uncle. The man not being too far from where he had left him this morning as he was drilling some of the new guard recruits.

"Sorry to interrupt, but Father requests you ready our horses uncle, we're riding to Honeytree".

"Alright lad, I'll sort this riff raff out, then I'll meet you and your father at the gate, right?"

"Yes, uncle, father said to meet at the gate within the hour".

Brynden shared a nod with his uncle before again he took off, his excitement not yet diminished in the slightest, he sped round corners and corridors making his way to some of the family rooms where he knew his siblings would be. But before he could enter, he ran into his mother Oriel, her face already cold and her eyes narrowed at the sight of him. Everyone in the castle adored her, they knew how she doted on her children but was also strong and powerful as a good Lady should be. While Brynden agreed that Oriel doted on her children, he believed this privilege was one that did not extend to himself. However, after nine years of trying to gain her love he had resigned himself to never receiving it. This interaction would probably be his least favourite of the day he thought to himself.

"How dare you run in the halls of your father! Think of what people would say seeing you run around, this is no true way for a Blackwood to behave"

Brynden set his jaw. "Sorry mother, I will be more respectful in the future".

For now, this seemed to be good enough as her cruel gaze shifted past him as if his entire presence was erased, Brynden did not care for his mother's scorn, he was adamant nothing could ruin this day for him. Entering the family room he very quickly hugged Hoster and Lucas wishing them well as they went back to wrestling on the floor, Brynden took longer with Edmund explaining the need for his absence to his younger brother but his brother instead refused to speak to him and turned away ignoring him in favour of watching the guards practice in the grounds below. His two youngest siblings Alyn and Bethany were both still in their cribs meaning Brynden could only hold their hand and whisper to them so as not to disturb their sleep and bring even more of their mother's wrath down upon him. Brynden left the room nearly entirely unchanged from when he had entered it, something he was sad to note was happening much more than he'd like, there had always been a distance between himself and the rest of his siblings, but he had hoped things would change the older they all became, however, it appeared that the opposite was the case instead.

Brynden, now with much more free time than he'd like, decided to head to the weirwood again, hoping this time the effect the tree had on his father would be one he could share in, his soul nagging to be freed from the constant loneliness he was beginning to feel at Raventree Hall.

The ravens were still sat in the tree, the same as that morning. Brynden approached the Heart Tree in the centre of the grove and the hairs on the back of his neck stood tall. He tried to laugh it off, the ravens couldn't be watching him, could they? He kneeled in the spot usually reserved for his father and stared uncomfortably into the face that had been carved into the tree hundreds of years prior. The connection to history something that Brynden often found interesting was no longer his focus. Instead, it felt like the tree was calling to him somehow, those eyes stared into his soul, words he had heard his father say years before echoed in his mind "when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back". He still did not now what his father meant but he felt this was as apt a moment as it could be for those words. Brynden reached his pale hand towards the tree, his fingers brushing over the carving until his palm pressed against the tree. Brynden's vision faded, his body went limp, and he fell forward. His blood coating the Heart Tree as the flock of Ravens above circled, waiting.

Brynden's eyes snapped open, the pale red no longer visible. Now they were only a milky white. Visions passed through his mind of places he'd only read about, King's Landing, Casterly Rock, Sunspear, The Wall and finally he flew down through the snowy valleys and came upon the most imposing castle he had ever laid eyes on.

Dark stone walls, thirty feet high or more. The lands around white, contrasting with the colours of the huge castle. A small town on the outskirts filled with people. The weirwood in the middle of the keep was huge, bigger than his own by at least double. The flags on the walls draped down the huge sigil of the house that ran the Castle. The direwolf of House Stark on clear display in all it's glory. Brynden kept flying, over the walls and into the courtyard below. There he saw three boys going over their own combat lessons one taller, with dark black hair. The next slightly shorter with red-brown hair, signs of his liege lord or so he'd been told. The third the leanest with a long face, dark hair similar to his own. Brynden perched up on top of one of the battlements just watching the boys spar, they were skilled, but it became quickly apparent that the first two boys were slowly ganging up on the third. He held his own for a while but was losing ground. Brynden swooped down and began to claw at the boys putting them off long enough for the lone boy to gain the upper hand and win the spar. As Brynden flew away, he heard complaints and grumblings, sore losers he thought to himself. He soared over Westeros in a way he'd only dreamt of the lands below him opening and expanding further than even his eyes could see, Brynden hoped to see these lands someday with his own two eyes, he hoped to see the boy he had helped as well but only to a lesser degree, maybe ask for some favours from the young Lord. Suddenly, his world began to shake, and he could hear shouting, his father's voice called for him, pleaded with him to return and so he did.

With a gasp Brynden opened his eyes, the pale red visible once more. Before he could begin to understand what had happened, he was enveloped in a tight hug by who he quickly realised was his father.