Robb, Jon, and the others were shocked to learn that Cornelia was about to go to the Great Wall or even to the land of eternal winter north of the Great Wall.
In particular, Robb, Jon, and Arya wanted to go together.
Of course, this proposal was quickly suppressed by his father and mother.
Bran, who was only seven years old, didn't even have time to express his desires.
Jon was the most disappointed. Since he was a child, he knew that Lady Catelyn didn't like him. So he especially longs for the glorious Night's Watch. He always dreamed that one day, he would go to the Great Wall and take an oath to guard the border. He really wanted to follow Cornelia and the others to the Great Wall, but in the end, he couldn't.
Naturally, Sansa had no intention of going to the Great Wall. She just expressed her concern for Cornelia.
As for Rickon, who was only three years old, he was still in a state of ignorance. He just hid in his mother's arms and watched his brothers and sisters making trouble.
Cornelia must admit that, among the seven children of the Stark family, perhaps only Sansa and Rickon were the most obedient and well-disciplined.
Of course, the child that worries her parents most is probably herself. She knows this very well and has nothing to say.
More than ten days passed quickly. Uncle Benjen finally finished taking care of things and planned to pack up and head north to the Great Wall. This time, in addition to their father, Maester Luwin and Sir Rodrik will also go to the Great Wall on this trip north, but the two will not go beyond the wall with them.
For many days, Catelyn helped Cornelia pack and give instructions day and night, but when she left, she was still full of worry and reluctance.
But either way, this trip north of the Great Wall was inevitable. They left during the day. At the gates of Winterfell, Cornelia followed her father to say goodbye to her reluctant mother and brothers and sisters.
Then, she pulled the reins and led the horse to follow her father and Uncle Benjen to the Great Wall. Her horse was personally trained by Sir Rodrik according to her situation and was given to her as a birthday present when she was seven years old. She named him Sheles.
Sheles is a very intelligent horse. She has been learning to cooperate with him since she was seven years old. Coupled with her special perception ability, even though she cannot see, she can still keep up with her father and Uncle Benjen during the day with the same speed, as she can sense the position of her father and Uncle Benjen, and even of their horses.
In fact, this is the first time she has gone this far in the many years since she came to Westeros. The furthest she has gone before was the hunting trip with Robb and his father last year, so this trip, in addition to nervousness, is inevitably accompanied by novelty and anticipation.
The Great Wall is not far from Winterfell. Even though they slowed down to take care of Cornelia and Maester Luwin, it only took them five days on horseback to get under the Great Wall.
When they arrived at the Great Wall, it was just after sunset on the last day of the trip, so Cornelia was lucky to be able to observe the shocking situation of the Great Wall for the first time.
The imposing wall is covered in ice and stretches endlessly in an east-west direction, with no end in sight. The cold wind, mixed with snowflakes, blurs the sky. Even if you look up, you can't see the top of the Great Wall. She stands there with solemn solemnity. One cannot help but be amazed.
She isolates the entire land from eternal winter. Just looking at such an imposing wall makes people realize that the world outside the wall is definitely not a place where humans can set foot.
This reminded Cornelia of her previous life when there was a place called the Great Wall in her hometown, which also existed for defense against foreign enemies. It was also a large building that shocked and impressed people.
But the one in front of us is not just an ordinary enemy.
These mysterious races born of death are hidden in places humans cannot find. They will definitely come back one day.
And the crisis is already very close to starting!
"Let's go! Let's go to Castle Black first to rest, and then we can head north to the Great Wall when we're ready. This time, the journey will be dangerous and unknown, so we have to be fully prepared." Benjen said and turned around, then looked at Cornelia, who was looking at the Great Wall, then couldn't help but move his eyes to the thin silk dress on her body and the equally thin cape she symbolically wore.
"I still can't help but wonder: Don't you really feel cold?"
Ned heard Benjen's words and looked at his daughter riding. Cornelia has never been afraid of the cold since she was born. Even after spending the night in the snow wearing only a thin skirt, she didn't feel cold.
It must even be said that she felt most at home in the ice and snow as if she were the incarnation of ice and snow. This is actually the reason why Ned agreed to Cornelia coming to the Great Wall. Perhaps for her, the North is not a dangerous place.
"I don't feel cold. I feel very comfortable!"
Cornelia retracted her gaze and raised her hand to catch the snowflakes falling from the sky. She even felt that the closer she got to the North, the more comfortable she felt. This made her very happy. Inexplicably, and even stranger, she found herself unable to feel much panic or fear regarding this place.
"Well, that's good. At least you'll never freeze to death like those guards!" Benjen raised his eyebrows, pulled the reins, and rode toward Castle Black.
"Lia, let's go too!"
Ned called back Cornelia, who was stunned. Lia came to her senses and nodded to her father. She then led her horse and followed her uncle Benjen and her father while Maester Luwin and Ser Rodrik followed them.
They soon arrived at Castle Black, guarded by the Night's Watch Legion beneath the Great Wall. They entered through the city gate. Inside, there were many aspiring Night Watchmen dressed in black, and they looked at them curiously as they entered.
This made her a little uncomfortable, but when she thought of the once glorious Night's Watch Legion reduced to this, she felt inexplicably sad. Today, there are only three guarded fortresses under the Great Wall.
Her father got off his horse and walked over to hers. He helped her down and handed her Sheles' blind man's staff. Even though it was night, she had to pretend to be blind. Fortunately, she was used to it.
"Lord Stark, why did you come to the Great Wall? And why did you bring Miss?"
At that moment, Sir Jeor Mormont came out of the nearby building. He looked at Ned Stark, who was standing next to him. He then looked at the ten-year-old girl, who was blind and was filled with doubts.
Cornelia looked ahead with empty eyes and silently examined Sir Jeor Mormont. Judging by his appearance, he was a kind old man. But since he had become the commander-in-chief of the Night's Watch, a legion made up of criminals, it was obvious that he was not a man of idle talk.
"Liya has been bugging me about the Night's Watch since she was a child. She insisted on coming this time. It turned out that Ned was coming to the Great Wall for some business, so we brought her with him. She's leaving in a few days. I think If I scare her this time, she'll never want to come here again!"
Benjen smiled and made a casual excuse, which made Mormont frown. What kind of place did they think the wall was? How could they bring a ten-year-old girl here casually?
But Ned Stark, the Lord of Winterfell, was a powerful person. Although the Night's Watch was neutral in the Seven Kingdoms and not subject to law, it had been founded by the Stark family thousands of years ago. The Night's Watch still received great support from the Stark family, both in terms of manpower and material resources.
So Mormont just frowned and said nothing, but he still felt that something was wrong. Did they really bring a ten-year-old girl to the Great Wall out of curiosity?
"We're going to stay here for a while. We're already tired from the road. Do you have wine?"
Ned, sensing the distrust and exploration in Mormont's eyes, stepped forward and began talking to him. He also blocked Lia behind him.
After they finally finished their greetings, Sir Mormont led them to the lobby where the Night Watchmen were eating, and Cornelia was finally able to get rid of the blatant gazes of the Night Watchmen, whose looks were truly unpleasant.
They arrived a little late, and there was no one in the cafeteria. The Night Watchmen had already finished dinner. They randomly found a table and sat down. Her father brought her food, and she sat calmly beside it. She ate and did not participate in the conversation between her father, Uncle Benjen, and Ser Mormont.
This time, when they came to the Great Wall, his father found a reason to deal with things. After all, he didn't want to attract attention. Even their trip north of the Great Wall had to start at night, and only three people would go: Uncle Benjen, her father, and her. They would have to go alone.
As for how to leave quietly without attracting attention, Uncle Benjen said he would take care of it and said nothing more to her. No matter how much she asked, she couldn't figure out how, so she had to give up.
She silently prayed that everything would go well on this trip.
"Miss, are you still used to the food here?"
Sir Mormont looked at Cornelia, who was eating silently without saying a word. He then suddenly asked while Ned and Benjen were talking. They didn't want others to pay too much attention to Cornelia.
Cornelia has been different from ordinary people since she was a child, and these differences have their good and bad sides. However, her biggest secret must not be known to anyone, as that would be a disaster, not a blessing. Since she is not yet strong enough to protect herself, the best thing for Cornelia is not to attract anyone's attention.
Cornelia put down her food after hearing this, keeping her eyes down at 45 degrees.
Then, she turned her head slightly toward Ser Mormont and replied privately with a smile, "It's all right, Ser Mormont, but to be honest, it's worse than Winterfell. You Night Watch have worked hard for so many years!"
Like a noble lady, this is the disguise she maintained for many years. Cornelia may not dare to say anything more now, but by pretending to be blind, she goes unnoticed, and no one dares to question her.
"This is our duty. We took an oath to protect the Great Wall, and of course, we will never break our oath!"
Mormont looked directly at Cornelia for a long time but saw nothing. She is just an ordinary noble lady. The only thing special about her is probably her blindness.
However, I must say that this young lady from the Stark family is probably the most noble of all of the Seven Kingdoms. Her etiquette in every move is impeccable, but of course, her mother was the eldest daughter of the Tully family in the Riverlands, so there's nothing surprising.
"Now that we've reached the Great Wall, Miss, would you like to go for a walk? If you like, Lord Stark can take you. It's worth staying there and enjoying the wind that comes from the North of the Great Wall. Of course, you can't see with your eyes, so be very careful. It's very windy up there."
The imposing wall is not only windy but also very dangerous. He really doesn't know how much the Great Wall is worth to this Stark. The young girl at home longs for this, and only children like them who are protected in a castle don't know what the Great Wall is like. This is not a fun place.
But since this noble lady is curious about the Great Wall, there is no harm in going there. Either way, it's not winter, and Ned Stark won't allow his daughter to be knocked off the Great Wall. He just hopes that this lady can spend a few peaceful days at Castle Black without causing trouble, and he will thank the old gods and all the new gods for that.
Of course, it would be better if they could leave quickly!
"Lia, do you want to go?" Ned asked after taking a sip of wine. They weren't going out tonight anyway, so it would be good to go see her. He knew she was bugging Benjen to tell him the story of when he was young, the story of the Wall and the Night's Watch.
"If Ser Mormont will allow me, I would, of course, be honored to take a walk on the Great Wall. Thank you very much, sir!"
Cornelia's smile became much more sincere. She was afraid of the White Walkers, but she was also really interested in the Great Wall. She was very curious. Being under the Great Wall was already so shocking. What would it be like to be at the top?
She thought Jon would be very jealous!