Pursuing winds

Even though Naruto had half expected it already, he was somewhat disappointed when Duskendale did not yield any useful intel either after his short time in Hull. Even a silver stag had not made the harbour master talk of any ships from Dragonstone arriving late the previous day, though the man had snatched up the coin easily enough.

He had continued on, questioning deckhands and sailors and those living close to the harbour without any luck. When none of the guards watching the town gates had been able to supply any useful information either, Naruto had been resolved to leave.

Duskendale had been a choice of convenience, made because he already knew the port after using it to arrive on Dragonstone in the first place and on account of the relatively short distance, but there were other good options, perhaps even more likely than this one.

Already, he was likely to be near half a day behind, with the late start and the time his own ship had taken to get him here. Naruto could make up for that again in speed, yet that required him to know exactly where to look, even if it was only a past location.

He was no Kakashi, but he had learned something about tracking, and a group seven strong riding horses through the country would leave a trail if they wanted to or not, one he could pick up on and use.

Naruto shook his head, looking at the two different directions he could take to leave the market square and with it Duskendale.

Three of the Prince's companions were of the Riverlands. Mooton from Maidenpool, Whent from Harrenhal, and Darry from Darry, each further north from Duskendale than the next, but the three others were of more southern regions, in the Stormlands and Dorne respectively.

Instinct was telling him to ignore the latter, and Naruto was accustomed to trusting his instincts above all, but he knew close to nothing of the Prince or his companions, Ashara's brother the only exception and that a small one at best.

How they acted, thought, planned? How they fought? All of it would have given him some insight to use, but he had none of it.

So, move north from here, and ignore those possibilities, or head south instead, towards King's Landing and beyond, into the Kingswood and then the lands around Shipbreaker Bay?

Making either choice would mean discarding any chance at returning later and still finding anything of value in the other direction. But without Shadow Clones he needed to make one all the same.

As he was thinking about his options Naruto's hand moved for one of the small pockets sewn into his cloak. Hidden away in the small space was the token Ashara had given him in Princess Elia's name, so that the men he was searching for and especially the Prince would know who had sent him.

Ashara's instincts had tended towards the north as well, with her focus on the Bay of Crabs and the ports that could be found there, and both of them being of one mind in that was good enough for him.

His decision made; Naruto set out towards the north.

The road from Duskendale split into two not far from the gates, one leading along the coast and the other cutting across the land to bridge the way towards Maidenpool as quickly and directly as possible.

It was the longer path along the coast Naruto chose for himself, setting off on a brisk run with Blackwater Bay on his right and snow-covered fields to his left. This way he would reach Rook's Rest the next afternoon, even sooner if he didn't stop to sleep.

But that would be unwise this early, when he could easily be travelling and searching for weeks. Once he had a trail to follow that kind of effort would not be doomed to be a waste.

So he ran and continued to run as the sun dipped below the horizon, leaving only the moon and stars to light his way. The hours passed without incident, only the rare sound of snow crunching beneath some animal's feet or a cold breeze rustling the barren trees breaking the peaceful quiet.

With only the sky as his companion Naruto could not help but focus on the view up above, though the sight only filled him with a feeling of melancholy, and memories more than a year old by now he would rather not summon from where he had pushed them away.

"I wonder what you are doing, sometimes." Naruto shook his head. What a pointless thought.

He distracted himself from those deliberations by focusing on the road instead and pondering the intentions of the men he was pursuing. Ashara had seemed entirely baffled by the matter, and Princess Elia's frustration had not been a facade either, but that left him no closer to an answer.

As he crested a hill Naruto wondered what would make him abandon his home, wife, and two children without leaving even a simple note. Maybe he was only deluding himself and he didn't really have any of those things, but he did not think anything would. The only thing that came close was a promise.

Was the Prince the same, perhaps? And if he was, who had he made such an important promise to?

In the end it didn't really matter. Promise or not, Naruto had been asked to bring them all back. A mission in all but name, and he'd do his part. Zabuza had had his own reasons too, not that that comparison was entirely fair.

The hour of the wolf had arrived by the time he chose to stop, gentle blackness veiling the hills and forests all around him. With winter returning the nights were long, and it would be hours until the sun rose, leaving him enough time for some rest before he crossed the remaining miles to Rook's Rest.

His gear was light, filled as it was with only the bare necessities. Dry supplies that would last him a few days, an additional cloak, thick and warm, and most importantly kept dry in his pack, flint and stone so he didn't need to waste chakra on making a fire, and everything he needed to maintain his weapons.

Chewing on a small piece of dried meat Naruto picked out the nearest sturdy tree and climbed up. Wrapped in his cloak and sitting on a thick branch he leaned back against the trunk and closed his eyes.

"Have there been any ships out of Dragonstone these last days?" Naruto asked the dockworker in Maidenpool he had just bought a mug of ale.

The weathered man pondered the filled mug in front of him for a few moments, before meeting his gaze again, still chewing on his sourleaf. "That depend on who's asking."

"The man who just offered you that mug," Naruto said, nodding at said mug, unwilling to let himself be led on. He knew this game, and what approach worked best depended on the person you sat across from. Upping the price so early would only communicate that he was desperate to learn anything.

"Hmm, might be there were one of those." After spitting out the pink juices his chewing had gathered the man reached for the mug and drained near half of it in one pull.

"Did there happen to be someone important on that ship? In red and black or maybe in white?"

The Princess had not asked complete secrecy from him, though there was a certain discretion expected with all missions. It was an avenue he had to exploit anyhow if he wanted to get anywhere.

Rook's Rest had yielded nothing, and instead of continuing along the road that followed the coast up Crackclaw Point Naruto had made his way directly north, forests as much of a path to him as the road was. He had reached Maidenpool barely an hour ago, after a total of four days of travel from Duskendale.

Something flashed through the dockworker's green eyes, and Naruto had to suppress the impulse to smile. A lead, finally. He had worried that the Prince and his companions might have changed attires to hide their presence.

"Might be there were those colours. Folk like that usually don't spend much time speaking with the likes of me." He took another pull of the ale, emptying the mug. "Either way, my throat is much too dry to talk more of it."

"Might be I'd be willing to change that." Naruto gestured for one of the passing tavern wenches to bring another mug, and the broadly smiling woman did not take long to fulfil that request in exchange for a few coppers, placing another filled mug on the wooden table he was sitting at.

The dockworker reached for the ale, most likely with the intention of draining half of it in one pull again, but before he could slide the mug closer to himself Naruto reached out with his right hand, fingers closing around the rim and holding fast.

"We were talking of men in red and black, and in white. Power through your dry throat for that and I'll leave you to your ale."

After thinking it over for a few moments, and clearly considering further attempts at pulling the mug from his grasp, the dockworker came to a decision. Harshly reddened tongue wetting his lips he began, "Aye, there was a ship like you say, came into port late last night. Heard the sailors complain about having to sail through the dark."

He knew little of ships but covering the distance from Dragonstone in that time with good winds did not seem impossible to him. The man reached for the mug, but Naruto did not let go just yet. "And the passengers onboard?"

"Might have been like you said, red and black and white, but the harbour master don't pay me to keep count of everyone getting off the ships," he answered mulishly, shoulders set with angry stubbornness.

"Did you happen to see which way they left?"

"West, maybe. Don't make a habit of following honest men."

Naruto nodded, accepting the information for what it was. He released the rim of the mug and stood from the table.

Reaching into the small purse at his belt, Naruto placed a few coppers onto the table, enough for the man to buy himself at least one other mug of ale. "For your troubles."

That done he left the Stinking Goose behind, happy to be rid of the smell as much as he was to have gained any kind of information to work with. The late afternoon was grey and cold, though the sky was mercifully clear and there had been no new snows to cover what tracks he might still be able to find.

His supplies Naruto had already replenished, after finding himself a hot meal upon arriving in the city, more dried foods joining what had remained to him from before. It was lacking in taste and consuming it could be an exercise all its own, but it nourished him and allowed him to keep going without the need to light a fire every time.

Maidenpool was surrounded by pink stone walls, and the banners of House Mooton, a red salmon on white, were proudly displayed all over the town and along the walls and watchtowers.

Naruto continued towards the gates, ignoring the inns, workshops, and famous bathhouse in the heart of the town. The Mooton castle was raised on a nearby hill, where the defensive position was even stronger than just high stone walls could supply and allowed it to overlook the city and busy port.

He reached the western gate quickly and passed beneath the murder holes and crossbowmen without issue. The fields outside of the town were covered in white and largely unmolested, except for the play of young children. Any farmer usually working the fertile soil would not waste their time doing so in the cold when any attempt would only be met with failure.

Two roads lead roughly westward, one joining the Kingsroad directly and one following the Bay of Crabs inland until it reached the mouth of the Trident in Darry lands, but for a few hundred yards those two roads were one and the same as they lead from the town gate.

Unfortunately, the snow immediately outside the gates was a mess of mud, half-melted snow, and hundreds of footsteps, human and animal both. Kakashi and his dogs might have been able to gather something from that, but he could not.

Slowly continuing further up the road Naruto kept a careful eye on the tracks in the snow, nonetheless. With snow abound and the weather as unpleasant as it was few people travelled if they could avoid it, meaning that the tracks actually leading away from Maidenpool were far fewer than those close to the gates.

There were the continuous, narrow tracks of wagon wheels, those left by horses, oxen, or mules, and many, many from normal people.

It wasn't until he reached the split in the road, one path heading west directly and the other splitting off to continue roughly north-west, that any of the tracks were of use to him.

Crouching down to get a closer look Naruto attempted to parse the tracks he was looking at. There were a few wagon tracks clustered together, some of oxen in the space between two wheels, but the multitude of oval marks could only be horses, and quite a number of them.

Nine of them had been taken from Dragonstone but differentiating that many from tracks left in snow for what was likely to be an entire day was an exercise in futility. More importantly, where the road split into two the horse tracks did aswell, three splitting off to move along the road by the Bay while the others moved towards the Kingsroad.

It had been good fortune to find any tracks at all, ones as legible as these were even more so, but there was only so much luck he could expect.

Following the larger group was the obvious path, and Naruto did not let himself be sucked into doubting that. Standing up he headed out again. A few hours of running yet, and then he could get some rest again.

Leather boots pushed against the snow, and he was off, following the way towards the Kingsroad at a brisk running pace, some of his focus always on the marks in the white ground.

The next day brought new snows, as if he was being mocked for his attempt at tracking, but that did not dissuade him.

When he reached the Kingsroad the day after whatever tracks had ever existed had long been covered and trampled under new ones.

Seeing no sense in the Prince taking a ship towards Maidenpool and then heading south towards King's Landing anyway, Naruto continued on northwards aswell. He had only taken a short rest the previous night, little more than five hours, before heading off again, something inside him motivating him to move quickly.

Barely two hours after noon, he heard horses in the distance. Very quietly, at first, barely more than a whisper in the wind, but quickly gaining in volume with every moment. Too quickly, in fact, for the horses to be heading in the same direction he was.

Jumping up the nearest tree for a better look, Naruto shaded his eyes against the sunlight reflecting off the snow covering the land.

There. Right down the road, a few hundred yards still, but coming closer. Five men, riding as if hounds were on their heels. But Naruto could see no one chasing them.

Jumping down, the snow crunching under the soles of his boots, he walked towards the road proper again. It was instinct that had him quickly checking the weapons he carried, but he did not shy from it.

Trouble sometimes had a way of finding him.

Snow crunched, reigns snapped, and men shouted at each other unintelligibly. Closer and closer they came, until Naruto judged they were close enough to have taken notice, even with them looking around all the time. He raised a hand from beneath his thick cloak, hailing the riders, and stepped into the middle of the Kingsroad.

This was an opportunity for him. Perhaps these riders knew something about the Prince.

"Hoh!" the first rider called, pulling on his reins to bring his horse to halt. The animal protested the movement but stopped all the same, as did the other riders coming behind the first one. None of them looked particularly pleased about being asked to stop, but he needed only one question.

"Good sers. I would only ask a moment of your time."

All the men were covered in thick furs and fine clothing, and then Naruto spotted the different sigils they all displayed.

The silver eagle on indigo of House Mallister was the least strange of the symbols to chance upon near the border between Whent and Darry lands. He quickly recognised the sky-blue Arryn falcon and the black iron studs of House Royce, but it were the last two sigils that caught his immediate attention: the silver fist on scarlet of House Glover and the grey Direwolf on white of House Stark.

Then he recognised the rider at the front, in the same moment the other man clearly recognised him as well.

"Naruto?" Brandon Stark asked, surprise managing to overwhelm his formerly angry expression. Naruto inclined his head in greeting, a small grin on his face. That made things a lot easier.

"You know him?" the rider in Mallister livery asked, urging his horse forward and next to Brandon's.

"He was champion of the melee at Harrenhal."

"Well met, then." The Mallister inclined his head as well, the hand that had been reaching for his sword returning to the reins.

"I will be quick," Naruto said, before any other questions could be asked. He did not want to let the gap widen too much by dallying, and they were clearly in a hurry too. "I am seeking a group of riders that came this way no more than a day past. A group with Prince Rhaegar at its head."

What easy atmosphere had settled in was immediately eliminated. There was a palpable tension in the air now that made him think combat could break out at the drop of a hat.

"I'll kill him," Brandon growled, fury returning to his stance and expression. Exchanging hard looks with his companions he made to set off. Before he spurred his horse again Brandon gave him a savage smile. "Thank you for this."

And then they rode on, never thinking to answer his question or explain what he had just helped them with.

Naruto watched their backs get further and further away, and a part of him wanted to run and catch up with them, to find out what the problem was. But he had his own mission to accomplish, with or without getting any new information from them.

With one last lingering look at their fading silhouettes Naruto turned away and fell back into a run, widening the gap between them all even faster than it had already been happening.

He tried to ignore the foreboding feeling developing in his gut.

In the next few days winter retreated near as quickly as it had returned.

It had not even been two moons of cold and frost, and already what snow there had been had melted away again, leaving everything wet and muddy. By night everything would be hardened by the cold again only to then melt with the dawn of the next day.

Naruto had asked around Darry without fortune, only learning the fact that Brandon had come from further north, stopping with his companions to ask after his sister and to exchange their horses for fresh ones before moving on again.

One of Rhaegar's companions was a Darry, and Naruto thought it likely that their company had stopped at the castle, but none would tell him of it.

With nothing else to go on, there was only the option of moving south again, this time on the road along the bay, to see if the three horses that had split off might be found that way. Otherwise he could have only begun sweeping the surroundings lands, relying on fortune alone to bring him close to success.

Instead of running the entire way back towards Maidenpool Naruto made his way more carefully, eyes sweeping the countryside he passed on the lookout for any sign of other people and especially horses.

These were still Darry lands, stretching near half the way to Maidenpool along the Bayroad and he couldn't help but hang onto the fact Ser Jonothor Darry was one of the Prince's companions. Then again, so was Ser Myles Mooton.

Now that snow no longer covered every inch, there were other people using the road again, seeking markets or septs or potential work, which only complicated matters.

Three times he encountered a situation he thought had potential before crossing into lands under the governance of House Mooton again. Three hedge knights with two young squires the first time, a balding septon and his companions and mule the second, and two young children with another barely grown young man who was likely an older sibling the third time around.

All of them completely useless for his mission, though the last was at least slightly amusing. It wasn't his style to give up on anything, but even Naruto could admit that some kind of reset might be in order.

On the night of his second day back in Mooton lands, a small shimmer of light against the branches a few hundred yards away attracted his attention.

All the other encounters he had happened upon had been close to the road, barely any depth into the surrounding treeline at most. It was odd, and odd served to get his attention immediately.

There were no other travellers on the road this late at night but him, everyone else long since finding some kind of camp to rest for the night.

Naruto slowly made his way through the barren treeline, steps almost unconsciously muffled in the scattered grass and dirt. Chakra would have allowed him true silence if he wished, but that seemed entirely unnecessary considering the situation.

He crept closer, the light growing bigger and stronger against the blackness. Lighting a fire at night was always a matter of risk if you wanted to stay hidden, even a small flame becoming visible for miles, especially from an elevated position.

There was another advantage to a light source in the night, for him at least. It made it infinitely harder for those near the source to see things in the dark, even if those things were already very close.

Not even ten yards from the outer line of the small clearing they were using Naruto came to a stop, taking in all the details he could with a sense of satisfaction welling up inside him. He couldn't stop himself from grinning.

Three horses had been bound to nearby trees, saddles and heavy saddlebags placed in an orderly fashion not far away. Yet only two men sat around the small fire, the clothing of one marked by the red salmon of House Mooton and that of the other by the skulls and lips on gold of Lonmouth.

"You really don't wonder?" Ser Richard Lonmouth asked, looking up from the small fire for a moment, his sheathed sword leaning against his right shoulder. He was only wearing a collar and shirt of mail for protection under the cloak and surcoat, but Naruto could see a polished breastplate latched to the outside of a nearby pack.

"No," Ser Myles Mooton answered curtly, while running an oil cloth along the blade of his longsword, gaze focused entirely on the weapon. "We are doing our part by doing this. What the Prince is doing in that time doesn't matter."

"I know, I know. But I can't help but wonder anyway." Richard scratched the back of his head, a grimace on his stern face. He was a tall man even sitting down and gifted with a strong build.

"You shouldn't think so much. You aren't any good at it," Ser Myles said simply, and turned his blade around to oil the other side.

"Fuck you, Myles."

There was a small, hidden grin playing over the Mooton knight's face.

"I hate to interrupt, but a Princess gave me an important task."

Neither of the two lacked for instincts, and both shot up from their seats, oil cloth, scabbard, and humour quickly forgotten as they brandished their steel in his rough direction.

"Who's there?!" Ser Richard shouted, squinting into the darkness, just as Ser Myles did.

Sitting so close while looking into the flames had robbed their eyes of the ability to discern much of anything in the inky darkness.

Naruto chose not to exploit that opening. If he could talk them into coming back there was no need for this devolve into violence. A chance, at least.

"Peace," he said, and took a step forward with both of his hands held up, empty palms facing them. "There is no need for your steel."

Both of them relaxed slightly once they could fully see him, though neither sheathed their weapon just yet. Ser Myles continued to scrutinize him before following up on Ser Richard's question. "Your name, stranger. Before you take another step."

"Naruto."

"You are either brave or a fool, Naruto, to sneak up on men in the night." Ser Myles relaxed even further, the tip of his sword dropping to point at the ground instead.

He couldn't help but grin and lowered his hands to his sides again. "A bit of both, I suppose."

"I'll say." Ser Richard barked out a laugh, and casually propped his sword against his shoulder again, the steel making the mail rustle slightly as the links moved against each other. "What brings you to these parts?"

"I'm looking for a group of men that might have passed through here."

"Alone? More fool than brave, in that case. You'll still be searching by the time you're grey," Ser Myles said, shaking his head, and seated himself on the ground again while keeping him in his peripherals.

"Oh, I think I'm already much too close for that," Naruto responded, quite amused with himself.

"Good fortune to you, then." The implication of his words seemed to have passed Ser Richard by, though Ser Myles tensed the slightest amount, fingers tightening around the hilt of his sword. "Say, what kind of Princess is giving out tasks like that?"

"The Dornish kind, Ser Richard."

The relaxed air disappeared in a snap.

Myles Mooton was on his feet and had his sword pointed at him again in the blink of an eye, a deep frown marring his face. Richard Lonmouth was slightly slower to follow along, though his reaction did not lack for urgency either.

Quick as that, the situation was as it had been again, only Naruto was slightly closer to them now.

"Careful now. I don't know what you think you are doing, but it would be best if you forgot all about it and disappeared back into the night." Ser Myles used his sword to gesture for him to move, tip twitching to the side for a moment.

Naruto glanced at the blade before focusing on their faces again. "As I said, there is no need for your steel. I was sent to bring back Prince Rhaegar. Tell me where to find him and I'll be on my way."

"You really believe that'll happen?" Ser Richard scowled and brandished his own weapon with his arm fully extended. He seemed to finally realise something else then, unbalanced for a moment. "I know you. You were at Harrenhal, at the tourney. You won the melee."

"Guilty as charged," Naruto admitted freely, shrugging his shoulders, unconcerned with the threat he was facing. "But that is of no importance here. Tell me what I want to know and this has no need to get ugly."

"No," Ser Myles said in response, light brown eyes sharp, and lowered his stance slightly, ready to lunge. Just like his companion he was wearing mail beneath his surcoat and cloak, his breastplate taken off for a bit of comfort. "You chose ugliness the moment you approached us."

Naruto would give the man this, he was bold as brass. "I worried you would say that."

The time for talk was over.

Ser Richard made a powerful step forward and struck, his steel screaming towards Naruto's head.

He ducked with a step forward of his own, letting the blade sail harmlessly over his head and bringing him close.

Left hand reaching for kunai from his back pouch, Naruto struck up with his right, knuckles meeting Ser Richard's wrist from below, making him open his hand in reaction and release his sword.

One, two steps more as he was standing up again and Naruto lashed out a second time, fist barrelling towards the other man's face.

Ser Richard wasn't quick enough to move his head out of the way and the punch connected with his nose, making his head snap to the side from the force imparted.

Naruto heard and felt the crunch of bone and cartilage, but that didn't stop him from pushing his advantage. He kicked one leg out from under the knight and yanked on the man's cloak to send him forcefully tumbling to the ground. Ser Richard's face met the earth, leaving him groaning and writhing in pain.

Turning around, Naruto brought his left hand up, kunai halting the sword coming for his head in its tracks with a crash of steel.

Ser Myles tried to win their lock by strength alone, but he found himself thoroughly outmatched.

Forcing the knight's weapon wide, Naruto used his right to catch the fist coming for his face. He tightened his hold and pulled in an abrupt motion that had Ser Myles take an involuntary step forward, to keep some measure of balance.

Balance, however, would not save him. Naruto wound his right arm around the man's throat, tripped his legs, and pulled, up and back. The struggle that ensued was short and ineffectual, the clumsy swings Ser Myles tried too slow and weak to have any chance of finding results.

When the struggle stopped, and the knight he was choking sagged in his grip, Naruto did not let go just yet. A few more seconds passed with only Ser Richard's pained groaning, the horses' snorting and whinnying, and the crackling of the campfire to fill the night, then he released his hold.

Ser Myles dropped to the ground in a boneless heap. He would wake up relatively soon, disoriented and thoroughly unbalanced, but by that time he would present no more threat.

Naruto took out a piece of rope and got to work, starting with the still conscious Ser Richard.

Before the injured man had even realised what was happening he was already bound tightly, and Naruto had moved on to the Mooton knight.

"Bastard," Ser Richard spat, a small glob of spittle and blood landing only inches away. His nose was clearly broken, and blood and dirt caked his beard.

After finishing with the binds he had been working on Naruto crouched in front of Ser Richard, consciously out of range of another projectile.

"Are you willing to talk now, Ser Richard?"

"Fuck you."

Naruto nodded his head, already half expecting that answer. He reached for his cloak and produced the small trinket he had been given. The flickering campfire illuminated the bronze and gold that shaped the Martell sun and spear. It was a unique piece, owned by Princess Elia, though he wasn't sure if this man would know that.

"This change your mind at all?"

Ser Richard barely spared the trinket more than a glance before continuing his angry glower in his direction. He spat again and stayed silent. Ser Richard clearly did recognise the trinket, but that did not seem to change his mind.

"Unfortunate," Naruto said, and stood again. He had no taste for torture and none of the skill to be called an interrogator. That left him with little else to do.

Walking towards the horses and packs Naruto began preparing.

He had quite a bit of distance to cover in the next days.

I hope you enjoyed chapter 32. Work on 33 has been rather slow, but I'm about halfway there by now. I hope to be done by Sunday, but there might be a slight delay next friday.

Rhaegar may be obsessed with prophecy, but he isn't stupid. At least not completely. He had a significant headstart and Naruto had little information to work with in finding them. Which means he only succeeds partially. The weather also assists Rhaegar a lot, even if he doesn't know it. Naruto just succeeding seemed too boring in this instance, though I understand some may disagree.

Some people theorise that Rhaegar was spurred into action by winter suddenly returning. I can absolutely believe that.

Just like with last chapter, a map of the area is probably useful, but I tried my best to describe the relevant details.

Naruto is very fast even over long distances, but he can't just run in one direction and hope to stumble across them. I made the rough calculations about distances and travel times using one of the world maps out there. Naruto runs at about world record marathon speeds the whole time. So 2 hours for 25 miles, roughly, but he is following roads a lot, which obviously don't take straight paths to their destination. Admittedly, ship speeds are rather debatable in ASoIaF. Some journeys arguably happen too fast, others take too long.

Rhaegar falls upon Lyanna "not ten leagues from Harrenhal", but why she would be anywhere close to that, I have no idea. She might have stopped at Darry on her way south from Winterfell, but that is already an unnecessary departure. Going even further south makes little sense. Then again, that is the world book and I'm not sure how anyone in-world would know that anyway.

Jon Connington is a PoV character in ADWD and most likely one of Rhaegar's six companions, but he never thinks about any meeting with Lyanna. He and Jonothor Darry split from the others to go towards King's Landing, which allows them to have their book plots for now. Hand of the King for one and "Not from him." for the other.

Ser Richard and Ser Myles are partly meant to show that the level of involvement differs a lot. They are close friends and confidants, and even they don't know all about what Rhaegar is actually doing. They are just blindly loyal. The question is, do they know other useful things?

How Brandon knows enough to suspect Rhaegar and demand his death in the Red Keep is another mystery from the books. Some people blame Littlefinger, but he is like 15 right now, and heavily injured from his duel with Brandon making him barely aware of his surroundings. It stretches my suspension of disbelief a little too far. In this story, Naruto is responsible for that sequence of events happening as it does, though he doesn't know it yet.

I have no attachment to any Richard Lonmouth theories, and any explanations for the events between Rhaegar and Lyanna that somehow end up blaming the actual kidnapping on Aerys or Robert seem pretty unbelievable to me, to say it politely. Those two have enough to be blamed for. They don't need to be responsible for that part as well.

As always, thanks for reading and reviewing. Until next time.