Chapter 2
A Lost Soul in Westeros 2
Jory winced as his Lord's sons went flying again under the cruel tutelage of their teacher, Alvaro the shaman of Wolfswood and now the Shaman of Winterfell.
Alvaro hated that title.
Upon their return ten years ago, Alvaro exclaimed one scandalous thing upon seeing his son.
The hell, Stark! Did your ancestor's fucked a lot of Lycans because goddamn your boy is a wolfman in the making.
Discovering that Robb, Eddard Stark's heir, had magic was a huge discovery.
Naturally, they had the boy as a future student for Alvaro.
Fuck you and your beard Stark!
In those 8 years, Jory had known the strange Shaman like no other as he had made sure to watch over the two Stark boys.
Alvaro was a strange but loyal ally.
He is crass and disrespectful to anyone he doesn't respect. He respects Lord Stark and him but not Lady Catelyn.
He is also eccentric and yet wise. One moment his doing his own strange work and then he would be a wise Maester, giving advice.
But his teachings to the boys are anything but brutal. When they hit 5 winters old, he began teaching them magic.
It's nothing short of brutal.
Eddard once tried to stop such training when the boys were in the behest of their mother's pleading (albeit it's for Robb mostly).
Alvaro made the boys face their father in combat as an answer.
Imagine the entire castle's surprise when both boys pushed their father to the brink of defeat. Only Lord Stark's experience and skills earned him victory.
A victory he had to fight harder than he had done in the rebellion.
Both boys speed and strength are absurd.
Lord Stark had said it was like fighting against the Warrior himself.
What's worse is that, Alvaro is throwing the two boys around like dolls with bare hands while the two used live steel.
Since day one, he had made sure to let the boys use live steel, danger be damn, for the sake of teaching them how to handle a sword safely.
It was a sick and maddening way of teaching and yet the results are speaking for themselves.
Robb and Jon, at the age of ten, are already handling swords like a veteran after 5 years of tutelage. He would admit he had taught the two of them how to use it but it was Alvaro who polished those skills.
By making them do semi-impossible tasks.
First, it was destroying boulders the size of a horse. Each boy had one.
They've got a week to cut it in half or he leaves.
That was their first lesson and the most frightening one.
Lord Stark had allowed Alvaro full authority in teaching them and he can leave anytime he wants.
Naturally, the two boys struggled. That's when Alvaro started teaching them magic and the highlight of their training. As their training are in public, most of the guard and the Maester watch and listen closely to his teachings, which he didn't mind at all.
Not like we can do magic.
That's how Jorey learned about Nen and it's ways.
It's baffling to see and watch the boys use them. It was invisible to naked eye but they can feel the raw magic in the two children.
Then they cut through the boulders like cheese.
With that feat alone, Alvaro had cemeyed himself in Winterfell.
As the boys improved, the harsher and challenging their training was.
The most interesting way of teaching them how to fight is the most fascinating for Jorey.
Alvaro made them fight magic constructs.
First, it was a dragon. The size of a house and bellowing out flames.
Catelyn fainted at the sight.
Surprisingly, the boys killed it with great difficulty but they managed to do it.
And now, he is doing right again.
" What do you expect this time it would be be?" one of the guards asked another.
Alvaro made them fight magic constructs.
First, it was a dragon. The size of a house and bellowing out flames.
Catelyn fainted at the sight.
Surprisingly, the boys killed it with great difficulty but they managed to do it.
And now, he is doing right again.
" I'll say it's one of those shield maidens."
Jory snorted as the betting soon started as shadows formed in the courtyard.
It formed into a man. A knight in golden armor and a giant axe.
" Who is he, teacher?" Jon asked eagerly. The boy had been taken to Alvaro's stories of his travels and adventures.
" This is Dene, one of the strongest man I fought." He said with a look of melancholy on his visage.
Something both boys noticed but didn't question it.
They had a fight to win.
"Begin! "
As soon as the signal was given, the knight vanished.
Jorey blinked as a sudden explosion to the castle walls happened. Yells of surprise and concern echoed in the courtyard.
Jon was missing while Rob dodged and weaved through the Knight's vicious attacks.
Suddenly, from the dust of the explosion, Jon appeared. His sword burning bright, something Jon made on his own without Alvaro.
Jorey already how deadly it was in the hands of the boy.
A sword that cuts anything.
Instead of faltering, the knight intercepted the bastard child and blocked his strike.
The boy had a look of surprise when his blade didn't go through the axe's handle. Sparks ignited between their weapons as they clashed with their strengths with Jon slowly losing.
Fortunately, his half-brother was there. Cold frost seeped through the courtyard.
Jorey looked at the heir with proud eyes.
Show him the strength of the North, Rob.
In an instant, the knight froze, its entire body encased on solid ice like a sculpture out of ice. Jon immediately seized the chance to win.
But the knight had surprises.
In an explosion of ice, the knight freed himself from its cold coffin and caught Jon's burning blade. Its armored hand stood strong and with a mighty heave, he threw the child back to the walls. It then looked at Robb.
Seeing that he is now alone, Robb steeled himself. Frost seeped through the ground around him, ready for a fight.
The knight moved first.
Robb anticipated and waited at this clearly as he sidestepped away and created a pillar of ice, trapping the axe as the knight swung it's heavy weapon.
Unbothered by the frozen weapon, the knight still swung and broke free it's weapon much to the surprise of many.
Robb's ice was one of the toughest things Jorey had seen. Many tried to break it once but with no avail and yet this Knight, Dene, managed to do it so easily.
His axe found purchase on the poor boy's side, sending him flying but uninjured.
The boy had used Ko to defend himself successfully.
"Robb your out." Alvaro called out.
The boy huffed, defeated and a wounded pride, he walk away to the side to watch his half brother.
Once again, Jon came from his trip to the wall with a powerful slash which the knight blocked. Soon the two was locked in the deadly dance of blades as the boy tried and failed to go through the Knight's guard.
Jorey would admit but seeing the Knight's way if handling a heavy axe with one arm is just pure terror. How did Alvaro meet such a knight and what led to such knight becoming so strong.
Alas as the fight went on, Jon is slowly losing steam. His offensive swordmanship is taking a toll on his young body which the knight took.
One body blow followed by a swift kick knocked the poor boy out.
" Stupid child, wasting your magic like that is useless." Alvaro shook his head.
The knight soon vanished as the boys recovered and lectured by their teacher.
"So what did you two do wrong?" Alvaro asked.
The boys looked at each other before answering.
"We don't know."
" I'll smack both of you."
Alvaro sighed at his students. Jorey chuckled, clearly the boys are outmatched in the fight.
" First, Jon. That technique of yours is too wasteful in your reserve. Find a way to cut it or another usage of it." Jon nodded with a frown. He took a lot of effort developing that technique.
"Second, Robb. Your too passive again. Of the two of you, your the most powerful due to your range of En and Hatsu. Your technique is also suberb but you have to be creative. Study more about it and find ways to use it."
" That's all, now go be a menace to society."
With those words, Alvaro vanished in a flash.
Jorey snorted, that always happended everytime at the end of their session.
He walked through the castle, already knowing where to find the man.
He still have questions.
He might not have magic but Alvaro is a Master in killing and strategy.
But not to soon a raven arrived.
The king calls for North.
The Greyjoys are Rebelling.
Chapter end.