Disclaimer: I do not own Elder Scrolls or A Song of Ice and Fire. All rights belong to their respective owners.
Chapter 5
The North 297 AC
The midday sun illuminated the path of the King's Road, which stretched from King's Landing to the Wall. Jon walked along this path, his face reflecting clear displeasure.
"I really am an idiot." he muttered to himself as he continued walking. "How could I think I could manage a ship by myself? No matter how magical it is, it takes at least five people to sail the «StarWolf». I need to find four more companions."
After crossing the Wall, Jon had headed towards the Bay of Ice. Fortunately, the place where he crossed was only a few kilometers from the bay, so it only took him half an hour to get there running at high speed. Once there, he smiled with satisfaction as he took out the scroll and summoned the ship Edzard had left him. When the ship appeared in the water, Jon made a great leap from the shore, landing on the deck with an impact that made the vessel sway slightly. However, the ship remained stable, proving its resilience.
He climbed to the helm and began to turn it, but the ship did not move. It was then that he remembered there was no sail on the mast. Not only that, but he also realized he had to raise the anchor, whose mechanism was at the other end of the ship, far from the helm. Additionally, he would need someone in the crow's nest to function as a lookout.
Realizing he lacked manpower; Jon disembarked and returned the ship to the pocket dimension where it was stored. He decided it would be best to continue foot, as he still needed to reach a village with a good blacksmith to buy armor. At that moment, he was wearing only a blue wool tunic, brown pants, black leather boots and gloves, and his cloak.
Putting aside the recent failure with the ship, Jon focused on the road. One of the things Edzard had always taught him was never to let his guard down, especially on deserted paths like this one, where bushes could hide unexpected dangers.
As he passed near a fallen tree, his keen ears caught the snap of a twig breaking. Although the sound would have been imperceptible to most, Jon was not an ordinary young man, and his enhanced senses allowed him to discern the weight of whoever had broken the twig.
'From the sound, whatever broke it weighs more than sixty kilos. That means it's a large animal or a bandit trying to ambush me.' he thought as he continued walking, pretending not to have noticed. Soon, he heard more noises, showing there was more than one. "The sound is too uncoordinated to be a pack of wolves. And they're following me, so they must be bandits."
His suspicions were confirmed when several figures appeared from the bushes lining the path. They were five men, dressed in ragged furs that gave them a wild appearance.
'They look like wildlings from beyond the Wall.' Jon thought, recalling the Wildlings he had seen on his travels. He assessed their weapons: rusty short swords, a woodcutter's axe, and a poorly maintained spear. "Those weapons are in terrible condition, not sharp at all. Although the axe seems to be in better shape."
"Heh, heh. Look, guys, it's our lucky day. Looks like a girl has gotten lost and, to her bad luck, she has no weapon." said one of the bandits with a marked accent, seeing that Jon carried no visible sword.
The bandit said this upon noticing that Jon had left his sword hidden in his magical bag. Jon did not want to draw attention prematurely, so he planned to buy a longsword and armor in a nearby village.
"Let's make this easy, boy. Give us everything of value you have, and we'll let you live. If you refuse, well…" said another bandit, leaving his threat hanging in the air.
Jon ignored his words and began to plan how to get rid of them. He saw that they had left quite a bit of space between themselves, which would allow him to move freely. Determined, he began to move his right foot slowly.
"Hey, kid!" shouted another bandit, irritated by Jon's clear indifference. "Give us your money and valua…!"
What he was going to say was left in the air when he saw Jon run towards his companion with astonishing speed.
Jon reached the bandit in an instant, grabbing him by the neck with one hand while with the other he snatched the short sword. With a quick and precise movement, he broke the bandit's neck, giving him an instant death.
"What the hell?!" exclaimed another bandit upon seeing his companion fall so easily.
"Damn son of a bitch!" shouted another, charging at Jon, followed by two of his companions.
Jon tightened his grip on the short sword he had taken and, waiting for the right moment, dodged the first bandit's attack with an agile move to the left, letting him pass by. Seizing the opportunity, he made a quick and precise cut that decapitated the bandit.
The efficiency with which Jon killed his companion made the other two stop dead in their tracks. But that pause only made them easy prey. Jon ran towards them and, in the blink of an eye, also decapitated them.
The last bandit, seeing his companions die so easily, panicked and ran away. However, he didn't manage to advance even ten meters before falling dead to the ground, with Jon's short sword embedded in his skull.
Jon walked towards the bodies of the bandits, piling them up on one side of the King's Road. Once he had them all together, he launched a small fireball that ignited the furs they were wearing, starting to burn them.
Then, Jon examined the weapons he had collected. He had not only taken the weapons but also the purses and any other valuable items.
"They only had a few copper coins and one silver coin." he murmured as he placed the short swords, the spearhead, and the axe head on the ground in front of him. Observing more closely, he added, "If I remove the rust and melt everything down, I might have enough metal to forge a greatsword."
With those words, Jon set out to find a cave where he could improvise a forge and begin forging a new weapon.
Jon rode a brown garron with a cross-shaped mark on its forehead, trotting gently along a path that cut through the dense forest known as Wolfwood. It had been more than seven days since he killed those bandits in the Night's Watch territories. After disposing of them, Jon tried to forge a weapon from their arms, but without a proper forge, he couldn't control the heat of the fire, resulting in the complete melting of the metal.
'I can't believe I wasted so much metal.' Jon thought with some frustration. Of all the teachings Edzard had imparted, one of the most important things about blacksmithing was not to melt metal more than once.
Flashback
A ten-year-old Jon was sweating profusely as he worked in front of the forge, heating a piece of iron.
"Keep your eyes fixed on the metal, Jon." said Edzard, watching his apprentice hold the metal with tongs inside the forge.
Jon nodded, focused on the iron. When he saw the metal turn red-hot, he decided not to take it out, as it was still too hard to shape on the anvil with the hammer. He decided to let it heat a bit more. When he felt it was hot enough, he took it out and brought it to the anvil. Still an apprentice in blacksmithing, his task was to forge a dagger. For five hours he hammered the metal, shaping the blade. When he finished, he brought it to Edzard for examination.
"Edzard, I'm done." Jon said, handing him the dagger.
Edzard took the blade and examined it. Although it was not yet tempered, it should be strong enough to withstand some blows… or at least that's what Jon hoped, but that was not the case.
"Ah…" Edzard sighed, showing a slight smile. "This dagger is no good, Jon."
Jon's eyes widened in surprise. Looking at his master, he asked why.
"You overheated the metal, Jon." Edzard explained, crouching down and pointing to some spots and bubbles on the blade. "Do you see this?"
Jon nodded silently.
"These marks indicate that you almost melted the metal again, and that's not a good thing."
"Why?" Jon asked curiously.
"Metals are fickle, Jon. Normally, they shouldn't be melted more than once because they lose much of their strength properties, making them brittle. And a brittle weapon is dangerous." Edzard replied, ruffling his hair kindly. "Remember this, and all the weapons you make will be useful, both for you and for those you sell them to."
End of Flashback
A sad smile appeared on Jon's face as he remembered his master. However, despite the nostalgia, he did not let his guard down. As he continued riding, he recalled how he had bought that horse at the first stable he found after leaving the Night's Watch territories. He paid three gold coins and a few more silver ones, coins with the inscription of a stag. Although Jon knew a lot about combat and magic, his knowledge of commerce, or rather the equivalents of Westeros coins, was almost nil. He didn't know how to pay well, but fortunately, the seller was honest and explained the equivalencies of the different coins to him.
After buying the horse, the stable owner recommended shoeing it and directed him to the local blacksmith. Fortunately, the blacksmith also sold weapons and armor, so in addition to shoeing the horse, Jon bought basic armor. This consisted of a brigandine with a simple chainmail underneath, steel bracers and greaves, along with a pair of pauldrons. He also bought a tent and some travel utensils. In the end, the entire purchase, excluding the horse, cost him about two golden dragons and several silver stags.
Once ready, Jon set off to continue his journey and, when he was out of everyone's sight, stored the items in his enchanted bag. He took «Gandravar» out of the bag and placed it on his back.
The journey had gone smoothly so far. However, it seemed the world conspired to annoy him, for as he passed by a stump with dried blood on its surface, Jon felt a bad premonition. Leaving that place behind, he continued riding, and the further he went, the more it seemed he had been there before. However, before he could remember anything, he heard a soft whimper.
Looking in the direction of the sound, Jon felt a tug on his soul. It was something unknown, but so strong that it compelled him to ride towards that place. He dismounted, tied the horse to a trunk, and walked until he discovered a small ball of white fur, curled up on itself.
Approaching stealthily, Jon took it in his right hand and, to his surprise, discovered it was a wolf pup. The little animal was as white as snow and had its eyes open, a red as intense as blood.
As he gazed at the pup, time seemed to stop for Jon, who felt his soul and the wolf's unite, almost as if they were forming a pact.
'This is strange… I've never felt anything like this.' Jon thought in amazement. This was something new for him, but his instincts told him he should keep this pup as a travel companion. Following his instincts, he decided to adopt it.
Jon took a cloth from his magical bag, improvised a small basket for the pup, and once secured, returned to the horse and continued his journey south. As he rode, his mind wandered in search of a place where he could find the information his master had asked for.
The sound of the garron's hooves that Jon rode echoed lightly as he advanced through the lands of the North of Westeros. With the hood of his bear cloak covering his face to avoid being recognized, he continued his journey south. Beside him, trotting silently, was the wolf pup he had named Ghost, a proper name, as the animal made no sound, neither to ask for food nor to howl at the moon.
The young bastard had been riding for more than two weeks since he found the wolf in that forest. After picking it up, he continued on his way, and fortunately, he reached a small village with an inn. As he approached, he saw some guards dressed in chainmail and fur cloaks, following a man wearing a pink cloak adorned with red tears. Not recognizing the sigil, he decided to head to the inn to eat something before continuing his journey.
Aware that his wolf would attract attention, Jon hid it in the same sack he had used to carry it when he found it. He entered the inn and sat at a table, asking the waitress for some bread, a wedge of goat cheese, and some beer. The waitress looked at him curiously but accepted the order. While waiting for his food, he sharpened his hearing to listen to the conversations around him. Although he found no clues about where to look for the information he needed, one particular conversation caught his attention. A young man mentioned his plans to travel to Oldtown to study and forge links of different metals, thus proving his vast knowledge.
The word "knowledge" made Jon realize that Oldtown was his destination. He unfolded a poorly drawn map showing the location of the main cities of Westeros. Oldtown was far to the south, much farther than he had planned to go, but a smile appeared on his face as he realized he finally had a lead on where to head first.
After eating, Jon quickly set off, resuming his journey that brought him to the place where he now found himself. As he rode, his keen ears picked up the sound of erratic footsteps heading towards him.
'It sounds like a hunt… No, there are several footsteps, and many of them belong to four-legged animals.' Jon thought, ready to ignore what was happening, but a female scream broke the air, changing his plans in an instant.
'What the hell is going on?' Jon pulled the reins of his horse, turning in the direction of the scream. He rode through the forest until he reached a clearing, and what he saw there filled him with a rage he didn't think possible at this stage of his journey.
In the center of the clearing, a group of men were cruelly laughing at a young naked woman, lying on the ground and surrounded by several dogs. Four of the men wore chainmail and had long swords at their belts, while the fifth, dressed in a black leather vest over a pink doublet, carried a different sword. This one was wider at the tip, giving it an even more threatening appearance.
'A sword that widens at the end of the blade is usually single edged.' Jon thought as he watched one of the men, who had several boils on his face, begin to pull down his pants while three of the remaining men bent down and held the girl. The last of them, the one wearing the black vest, just smiled and seemed amused by what was happening to the girl.
Ghost bared his teeth, sensing his companion's growing anger, but remained in place as he saw Jon raise a hand to stop him.
"Easy, boy." Jon whispered, not taking his eyes off the men. After those words, he began to walk towards them, sliding a hand to his belt to take a throwing knife. With the weapon in hand, he stepped out from among the trees, causing the dogs surrounding the young woman to turn towards him and start growling.
The sound of the growls made everyone lift their heads and see Jon approaching. For a moment, surprise stopped them, but they quickly returned to what they were doing.
"Oh, but look what we have here. It seems someone has come to play the hero." said the man in the black vest, taking a few steps towards Jon and leaving his companions to continue their cruel fun.
Now that he was closer, Jon could see his face clearly. The man was not at all attractive: his lips resembled worms, and his eyes were as pale as dirty ice. He had long brown hair. Jon ignored his words, continuing his advance while keeping his knife hidden under the bear cloak.
"Seems you're like Grumpy, one who doesn't know how to talk." the man added, signaling to his dogs.
'You really are an idiot. Your trick of talking to disguise your intentions might work with others, but not with me.' Jon thought, slightly moving his right hand as he prepared to draw his sword.
With a single gesture from the man, the dogs lunged at Jon. They were fast, clearly trained hunting dogs, not mere mutts. They ran towards him, barking furiously, their jaws dripping saliva in anticipation of the flesh they expected to devour. But when the animals were just a few meters from Jon and leaped into the air, their bodies collapsed, lifeless.
The eyes of the man in the black vest widened as he saw how that stranger had just killed all his hunting dogs with a single slash of a large black sword. His surprise only increased when Jon, with a quick movement, threw a knife that grazed his cheek, leaving a small cut.
"Yellow Dick!" shouted one of the men holding the girl as he watched his partner, who was about to rape the girl, fall dead from a knife stuck in his head. Well, that's what you'd expect, but because Jon had used a lot of force in the throw, the knife had gone through the rapist's head and ended up stuck in a nearby tree.
Seeing their companion fall dead, the men at once released the girl, who had lost consciousness upon feeling the blood of the deceased fall on her. They quickly stood up and drew their weapons, but froze upon seeing how the stranger was surrounded by the corpses of their lord Ramsay Snow's dogs.
Ramsay looked at Jon without showing the slightest trace of fear, something that did not go unnoticed by Jon.
'Fear is one of the first lines of defense for any human being. Not having it only makes a person savage, stupid, and impulsive. This guy shows no fear, despite the fact that I just killed all his dogs with a single slash. In fact, he seems to be enjoying the situation. His companions, on the other hand, look like they're about to wet their pants.' Jon reflected as he saw the men. 'The girl could get sick if she stays naked on the ground. I'll have to finish them off quickly.'
Just as he finished thinking that Jon noticed the man in the black vest trying to speak. Not wanting to hear his unpleasant voice, Jon launched himself at them with lightning speed, leaving them no time to react. With a single swift horizontal slash of «Gandravar», he cut the men in half. The blade effortlessly sliced through the chainmail and, of course, the vest of the man who had tried to speak.
When Jon finished his attack, a small gust of wind rose, separating the severed bodies that fell scattered across the clearing. What had been a place of torment turned into a grotesque scene of entrails and blood.
After securing «Gandravar» on his back, Jon approached the girl and, taking a fur cloak from his bag, covered her with it before lifting her in his arms. With the young woman safe, he began to walk towards his horse, determined to take her to a safe place.
The Crossing 297 AC
Jon rode along the King's Road and stopped upon reaching a hill. Until recently, the landscape had been dominated by swamps and marshes, but now that has changed. From the hill, he spotted a large river and what appeared to be a stone bridge with two castles, one at each end, and a tower in the center.
Turning his head, Jon looked back with a sad expression. After leaving the girl he had saved, he realized he was in Bolton lands. While that was already concerning, what really startled him were the rumors that Lord Bolton's bastard enjoyed hunting young people in the forest. It didn't take a genius to realize that the man he had killed was, in fact, the bastard son of the lord of the second most powerful house in the North.
Aware of the gravity of the situation, Jon quickly devised a story to protect the young woman. He told her that he had rescued her from a group of rapists to the south, whom he had already eliminated. When the girl fully woke up, as he recounted the story, Jon handed her some silver coins and whispered that she had to keep that lie to avoid the pursuit of House Bolton. Upon hearing the name Bolton, the girl nodded fearfully.
With the alibi established, Jon continued his journey south. Along the way, he encountered some bandits who tried to kill him, but Jon easily dispatched them. Afterwards, to reinforce his story, he made them out to be the rapists by pulling down the pants of one of them.
As he advanced south, Jon was tempted more than once to return to Winterfell to speak with his family, but he decided it was not the right time. There was still a possibility that he would be discovered as the killer of Bolton's bastard, and if that happened while he was in Winterfell… well, it would be problematic, and he didn't want to cause trouble for his family.
'I'm so sorry, father, Robb, Sansa, but I can't return yet. I don't want to cause you problems, so I'll have to wait until all traces that could reveal I was the one who killed Ramsay Snow cool down. It seems it will take a couple of years before I meet my new siblings.' Jon thought as he tightened the reins of his mount. Stopping looking north, he began to ride towards the bridge, followed by his faithful wolf, Ghost.
Jon rode for a while until he reached the entrance of the bridge. In the distance, he saw a long line of people and merchants waiting their turn to cross. As he approached, Jon covered his nose with one hand, trying to stifle the smell.
'What a stench here. It smells of greed, envy, cruelty, and selfishness.' Jon thought, feeling disgusted by the atmosphere emanating from that place. As his horse advanced, Jon saw a merchant arguing with some guards dressed in armor and surcoats with the emblem of two blue towers joined by a bridge on a silver-gray background. With his sharpened senses, Jon began to listen to the conversation.
"I can't believe they've raised the toll so much! This is robbery!" the merchant shouted indignantly, looking at the guards with fury.
One of the guards looked at him with a mocking smile. "Orders from Lord Frey, idiot. All merchants must pay a little more if they want to use the bridge."
The merchant gritted his teeth, enraged.
"You should pay, unless you want to travel south to the Ruby Ford crossing." added another guard.
The merchant glared at them with such intensity that it seemed he could set them on fire with his gaze alone. Despite his evident anger, he took out a bag of coins and paid the toll, cursing the guards as he did so.
Jon watched as the merchant and his caravan began to cross. Thanks to a new map he had bought from a merchant near the turnoff to White Harbor, Jon now had a better understanding of Westeros's geography.
'I should have gone to White Harbor and taken a ship from there. But no, I wanted to ride to Oldtown. Even so, I won't pay these scoundrels a single penny.' Jon thought as he pulled the reins of his horse and headed south. 'I'll take the other crossing. It might take me longer, but I'll reach my destination in the end.'
With that decision made, Jon began to ride along a dirt path, planning where he would rest that night as he advanced.
Author's Note:
To those who have made it this far, thank you for reading. To be honest, my English writing skills are not strong, and I'm relying on Google Translate and the dictionaries that come with Office 2019.
Well, and we continue with the translation XD.
Here we see that Jon has eliminated Ramsay… and if you're wondering how he got to Bolton lands, having been in Wolfswood before… Well, you get lost when you don't have good roads and signs XD
And finally, Jon leaves the North, but doesn't enter the Twins, something smart on his part. In the future, he will enter that fortress, as a friend or enemy… Well, that is still unknown XD.
I apologize for any spelling errors. Please don't forget to leave a review if you enjoyed the chapter, or if there's something that needs improvement, or if you have any questions about the story. Any constructive advice is welcome. With nothing more to say, see you in the next chapter.