:-[Chapter 13]-:
"Aye, my lord. Hedwig is convinced of it. She heard him say he never went to see the body. She also believes the man is becoming more and more stressed as the days passes." Quickly answered the young wizard.
Rickard turned around, showing his back to Harry. The raven haired boy could see the man take a deep breath.
"I trust both of you. The Old Gods would not have sent me that dream if you weren't trustworthy. Hedwig is a direwolf, the symbol of my House ever since Brandon the Builder himself took it. If he truly is part responsible for the death of my wife, he will learn what it is to fear the Starks.
:-[T.A.B]-:
Lord Rickard Stark entered Winterfell in a very gloomy atmosphere. There weren't any fanfare, any music, no clapping. Many of the Household were present however to greet their lords coming back.
Benjen was at the forefront of it all, looking all lordly, waiting for his father and brothers. When he learned that Ned was coming back also from war, the news made him smile for the first time since that terrible night. His sister Lyanna, refuse to come out however, even with Hedwig and Sura's presence.
Soon as he was able, Rickard step down from his horse, his front of his youngest who immediately bended his knee, to his father's surprise.
"Father, I have f-failed i-in my duty."
"Enough, son, get up."
Benjen froze into place, not able to make his legs obey his command. He managed however to lift up his grey eyes to look at his father, who looked at him with warm eyes.
"Son, you are not responsible for what happened. Please, get on your feet." Reassured the Old Wolf.
The young man only needed that to jump into his father's waiting arms. After a minute or so, Rickard let go of Benjen to look at the Household.
"Thank you all. Get the castle ready, we have wounded men who are coming with the rest of the army. Ser Rodrik, I know you are just as exhausted as I am, but I need you to make sure security is back at full strength."
"Aye, my lord. It will be done." Said Ser Rodrik, still on his horse.
"Brandon, Eddard and Harry, follow me inside the castle." Ordered the Lord, holding Benjen's shoulder and walk in direction of his ancestral home.
Harry was a little surprised to be included within such a group so soon back in Winterfell but seeing the encouraging look on Eddard's face, he easily got down his horse and followed them in.
For some, Winterfell could feel cold and distant but for the Starks and Harry, it felt like home. Rickard didn't even wait to remove his travels clothes before going straight to Lyanna's room. The many guard in the corridor all straighten their back and spears, seeing their liege lord appeared.
Lord Stark stopped at the door, not wanting to scare her daughter more than necessary. Harry had told him during their last conversation the state Lyanna's mind was.
"Lyanna, it's your father and all of your brothers. May we all come in?"
They could all hear small feet running on the other side. The door was opened so quick, they didn't had enough time to see the dark brown haired child literally jumping into her father's arms. No words were spoken between the two.
The Starks made to reenter Lyanna's room before they stopped right into their tracks, seeing the newly adult size white direwolf sitting on the bed. Rickard simply stood there for a moment before smirking.
"My my, Lady Hedwig. You've grown so much since we left months ago. Thank you for protecting my children. Speaking of, all of you, come inside, I've had some new information in the last few days that we need to talk about." Said the Head of House Stark, still holding his daughter firmly in his arms.
Harry sat on the stone floor, wanting to be with Hedwig. She immediately let the family take the bed while she went to her Master, happily wagging her long tail, her tongue flapping. She was now a fully grown direwolf. Either she grew up faster than the normal direwolf he she was bigger because of his magic, he couldn't really say. But that didn't matter. Now, she was strong enough to be in battle. The young wizard could easily feel the hard skin under her soft white fur.
Once everyone was settled and had everyone's attention, the Stark patriarch started with his plan.
:-[T.A.B]-:
On the evening of the same day, the entirety of the Household was here, in the Great Hall of Winterfell, along with a good number of guards. With part of the army back, no men wanted rest when their liege's family was going through some of the worst time if their life.
Sat at the Great Table was Lord Rickard Stark, flanked by all of his children, even Lyanna, who insisted on never leaving her father's side. Harry and Hedwig were charge with her personal security and were standing right behind her. All of the family was convinced that an almost six foot tall direwolf would deter almost everyone to act against them.
In his hall, the servants were all seated and waited for their lord to start. Everyone was here, from the dog master to Ser Rodrik. Maester Walys was put front and center, guided by none other than Sura. Many of the petty lords surrounding the area also decided to come, wanting news on the war and the event on Lyarra Stark's death.
"My lords, members of my Household. I thank you all for coming this quickly here. I have been away for war and it cost us my lady wife's life. My youngest son, Benjen was almost murdered by the same hands that took Lyarra." Started Rickard before getting interrupted by the lord who exploded at that last bit of news.
Hedwig was the one who calmed everything down with a growl. This made every lord shut up in a instant.
"Yes, Benjen was almost killed. But by the grace of the Old Gods themselves, who have sent us the direwolf, Hedwig, my son survived this terrible ordeal. The wolf killed the murderer right before he did the deed. Three hails for Hedwig!"
"HEDWIG! HEDWIG! HEDWIG!" boomed the entire Great Hall.
The lady of the moment stood prouder, as it was her moment well deserved. Rickard left his hands, retaking the attention back to him.
"I also have to speak about the action of Harry Winterstorm. He saved my son Eddard's life during the Battle of Sweetsister. Their ship was ambushed at shore by the Sistermen and he saved him by killing the man who had my son's throat his hands. Three hails for Winterstorm!" continued the Lord Paramount.
"WINTERSTORM! WINTERSTORM! WINTERSTORM!" boomed once again the hall. Sura especially looks quite proud for her friend, clapping and chanting with the others.
"As a reward for those deeds, I officially take Harry Winterstorm as a ward of House Stark. He shall keep his Winterstorm's name and once he marries, I will give him a title and land. Until then, both of them are under the protection of House Stark."
The cheers were deafening. After the last events, it was an occasion of joy and celebration, something they all needed desperately. Harry had earned the guards respect while he was sparring almost every single day with them. He earned the servants' by being polite to each and every one of them every day and now, he earned the respect of the northern's lord by saving a Stark.
Harry was floored. He knew Lord Rickard was very grateful of course but to give him a lordship later in life?
"Think of all you can do later with a castle of your own. You could train your magic and your swordplay even more if you so desired it." Said Hedwig mentally.
Agreeing with Hedwig by nodding his head, Harry kept his attention to his lord.
"Now that the good news is done, we have to talk about the bad news. As you all know very well, my lady wife, Lyarra Stark was brutally murdered within the wall of Winterfell." Rickard continued.
Many different reactions were shown. Lyanna was closed to tears but was supported by Benjen. Brandon was growling menacingly as many of the lords present. Eddard was stoic and cold as ice, showing nothing except for sadness in his eyes.
"With new information given by none other than Harry Winterstorm, we have founded another culprit. This… miscreant is here, with us right now."
This time, no amount of growling from Hedwig could calm down the crowd. Many servants were looking at each other suspiciously. The guards were not moving, staying in their position in case the maggot would try something.
"Aye my lords, it takes everything in my power to not kill that murderer with my bare hands." Said an angry Rickard. "However, as long as I am the Lord of Winterfell, even a murderer can have the right to defend himself."
Some of the lord weren't happy with this decision. Some of them wanted to kill the piece of shit who had taken their liege lord's wife so brutally. Since it wasn't possible, they would easily settle for the traitor who had help in this sordid affair.
"You stand accused of murder. You stand accused of treason. How do you answer these charges, Maester Walys?" finished Lord Rickard Stark, slowly turning his head toward the man.
The collective gasp many of them took could have made Harry chuckled, if it wasn't so serious. Master Walys started to sweet by the bucket, sitting on his stool in the middle of every one.
After a moment waiting with no answer, Rickard spoke again. "I've asked you a question, Maester Walys. How do you answer these charges?"
Still seeing no answer for the old man, the lord of Winterfell gave Ser Rodrik a quick nod. The knight immediately moved toward the traitor, making everyone else step back from him, like he had the plague. The Cassel's man firmly took the man by his robe to put him up, roughly pushing him forward.
"Answer your lord, traitor!"
Walys staggered a little at being shoved in front of the table. He looked into Rickard's eyes but saw only cold uninviting ones.
"M-my lord I-I-I don't understand these accusations." Tried the old man.
"Oh? Which one confused you, Walys? The one where I accused you of participated in the murder of my wife or the one that I accused you of begin a traitor?" calmly asked the lord of the North. "The direwolf Hedwig had detected your smell upon the murderer body before she sent the fucker to the Seven Hells. What say you?"
"I have inspected his body after his crimes! The animal must be confused. Yes, yes that must be it! The stupid animal cannot…" started rambling the old man.
"Enough! The direwolf is not some stupid animal, like you said. They have intelligence, much more than a standard wolf. Harry Winterstorm and Hedwig have my entire confidence. You have said to Benjen himself that you never went to see the murderer after his death. Explain to me how your smell could be on him? Again, how do you answer these charges?"
"Guilty." Knowing what Tywin would do to his family if he betrayed him. "But I refuse to ask for the Black, I refuse to spend the rest of my life on the fucking Wall, freezing my balls. I know I will never get justice, I demand a Trial by combat.
All façades were now gone in an instant. The now ex-Maester of Winterfell was abandoning all the lies he had to endured all these years. Yes he was here as the spy of Tywin Lannister. But he mostly spied on the Stark for the sake of his family.
"You think I will allow you a chance to leave the North alive? When you have participated in the murder of my wife and attempted on the life on my son? I think not. These crimes are far too vile for you too even leave the courtyard. No. You shall die here, in Winterfell. Your reaction show what you think of us, our culture and religion. Ser Rodrik, bring me Ice."
Walys panicked, hearing this. He hoped to at least have the chance to defend himself with a champion he would make come to the North but now, Rickard was completely blasting those hopes away. The old man tried to moved but two Stark men stopped it right here and there.
"Aye my lord, at once."
"Lyanna, I want you to go back to you room with Sura and Hedwig. I will come later." Said Rickard more softly to his daughter while making a gesture toward the other girl to come closer.
"I am sorry my Lord, do I stay here or do I follow Lady Lyanna?" inquired the young warrior.
"You will stay here with me, Harry. I want you to see what is going to happen. Like I said, I trust you with my life and those of my children. The Old Gods have told me to trust you both and that's what I'm going to do. This man has betrayed my trust and the Stark name. There is no way I will let him leave this place alive. The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword, always remember that." Answered the lord.
"Yes my lord, I will." Bowed quickly Harry.
Lyanna left promptly the room, not wanting to see more blood. It would take time before she would be able to she thought. As her father ordered, she was quickly followed by Sura who was becoming a very good friend and of course Hedwig.
The Starks boys stayed where they were, having receive no orders to move. Benjen was a little bit surprise at that, but he wanted to make his father proud, especially after his failure to protect his entire family.
Ser Rodrik came back a couple minutes later, holding the giant two-handed sword made of Valyrian steel. It was the first time Harry saw the sword outside of its scabbard. The dark metal had darker ripples pattern all over it. It was truly a marvelous sword.
Rickard took his ancestral family sword from Rodrik. Two guards were firmly holding the old man who was trying to get away. Where, Harry didn't know. The man was completely surrounded by loyal Stark men.
Some lords in the crowd were throwing insults at the man while the servants preferred to stay mostly silent. They were however talking a lot among themselves.
"I, Lord Rickard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, sentence you to die. Do you have any last words?" asked Rickard, his voice cold as the winds of winter.
"Fuck off Stark, you and your Gods." Was the final answer the man gave before silencing himself, bending his knees to be closer to the stone floor.
Ser Rodrik put a wooden block in front of the Maester, showing no emotion except disgust. He went behind the condemned and put his foot on his back, making sure he couldn't move at all.
Saying a small prayer to the Old Gods, Rickard approached the man he thought was loyal to his family, his sword firmly into his hands. Ice sang through the air while the Lord of Winterfell swung her in direction of the man's vulnerable neck.
"Fuck you Stark." Said again Walys, looking deep into Rickard stormy grey eyes before dying from decapitation.
:-[T.A.B]-:
Somewhere, in Oldtown, in the Reach.
Seven people were gathering themselves into a dark chamber, illuminated only by a few torches. Those figures were all dresses in similar fashion, with purple robes and masks representing the Seven Gods.
They were all standing in formation, forming a circle around a seven pointed star. In the middle of it, was a small lonely black candle. The figures started to chant together in Valyrian. After a couple of minutes of chanting the black candle lit all by itself. The light that emanated for it made the shadows behind the people darker than the darkest holes you could imagine but they all pay it no mind.
By all connecting themselves to the same lit candle, they were granted a vision. Said vision transported them into the vast land of the North, where ice and snow is never truly gone. Winterfell was their destination where they assisted at the execution of one of their acolytes.
"Well. The old goat couldn't stay hidden forever. I wondered why Stark didn't interrogate him" Said one voice, revealing it to be a man.
"Yes, it is strange. Maybe the man was blinded by rage. Maybe he truly believed the man was acting on his own or simply helped his wife's murderer out of hate. Nevertheless, Walys is dead and Tywin's have lost both of his pets." Said a second voice, also a man.
"Every castle needs a Maester. Once the news comes out of the North, the Citadel will send ravens upon ravens asking why they did what they did. They will probably simply send another Maester once the reason on the killing comes out also." A third member spoke up.
"That is true. We will need to propose news acolytes to send North. We cannot possibly stay ignorant and blind there. Centuries of preparation cannot, and will not go to waste. We've already destroyed the dragons from within. Now, we will destroy the Old Gods." The first voice said. "Praise to the Order!"
"Praise to the Order! Praise to the Order!"
:-[T.A.B]-:
Thank you everyone for reading Chapter 13 of The adventure begins! Please let a review in the comment, letting me know what you think about my story.
If you are interested in becoming an Alpha or Beta reader, contact me!
Criticism is always welcome as long as it is constructive.
To InfinityMask: Walys finally got punished! What do you think?
To Shar: Welcome! Thank you for reading. Don't worry, Harry will have a long life in Westeros for the threat to the North is still coming! After this story, I probably will make a poll to see if people would prefer another universe of started Harry's second year.
To gondraxier: Thank you for reading my friend! Please tell me, what did you did think of this chapter?