A Song of Fire, Ice and Hearts

by Jebest4781

Venturing outside of the Heart of his Somebody, a Nobody enters a World where it's at the brink of self destruction. Will he be able to handle and survive the Game of Thrones. Rated M for language, violence, etc. Pairings hidden at current time. KHXGoT/ASoIaF CoWritten by free man writer. Cover Image by Carlos M. Please leave reviews.

2. Ironrath

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Disney, Square-Enix or Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire. They rightfully belong to their respective owners.

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

Writing/Singing

"Foreign Language/Flashback"

-Scene Shift-

Chapter 2: Ironrath

Sounds of twigs crunching and snapping along with the dirt being rolled over was present as it worked along with the birds chirping and some small animals humping in the undergrowth. The occasional rock caused the source of these former sounds to bump and eminate some clanking with a horse neighing every once in a while.

Hanging in the back seat, Roxas was keeping a vigilant eye towards his surroundings as Arthur drove the cart to their destination.

It's been the next day since the Nobody woke up in this world and so far it's been alright; aside from the occasional Heartless pack he had to take care of.

An hour or two after departing the Tuttle pig farm, Roxas had to help slay a good number of Heartless coming after them. And this happened several times within the span of their departure to the present time.

After all, the beings of darkness were drawn towards the Keyblade as it was the only thing keeping them at bay and taking them out.

Throughout their journey towards Ironrath, Roxas was able to learn more about the present World he was in. For starters, the Keyblader was currently in the Wolfswood, located in western portion of the North.

Their destination -Ironrath- lied in the deepest parts of the Wolfswood, where the Forresters properly harvest and preserved the rare Ironwood trees; which were essentially the hardest and sturdiest wood there ever was. Said wood is often harvested for shields and ships among doors and certain pieces of furniture to show how sturdy and long lasting it is. And a unique, final trait with this special wood that once burned, it emits a blue flame instead of how it normally is.

The Ironwood was their primary source of income for the Forresters as many Houses throughout Westeros sought after it. Though in Roxas' mind, he wondered if there was any other means to their income.

Now after hearing descriptions of the Ironwood forest, it was rather tight nit and dense from what he envisioned. But he wondered if a fire broke out within their property, it would surely spread. And if it doesn't get contained quick enough, then much of their income will go up in ash and smoke.

'Hope they have access to a river to at least douse those flames if that were to ever occur.' Came Roxas' dry thought.

From what he also learned, House Forrester has faithfully served directly under House Glover and from there House Stark as loyal bannermen for thousands of years. And the later House was the Lord Paramount of the North; which ruled all of the other lesser or major Houses in the region.

The Starks were a truly honorable family as they worked hard in earning the respect and loyalty it deserved since its founding; all in order to unite the Northern Kingdom as a whole -from the Neck up towards the Wall- in a span of a thousand years.

One Stark wrestled an Ironborn Lord to secure Bear Island for the Mormonts. One Stark branched off from his family in order to form his own House, named the Karstarks. One Stark took in an exiled family from the Reach, named the Manderlys, and they have returned this favor in guarding the White Knife from pirates and invaders.

So on and so forth did many Houses live and survive by bending the knee to House Stark; whether they liked it or not.

It was from here did Arthur explain two Houses that were not well liked in both a personal preference and a general thought with the North as a whole: the Boltons and Whitehills.

The Whitehills were once good friends with the Forresters centuries ago. Everything was fine and dandy with their relationship as they split the Ironwood forest properly in half. For each House will have their own share and will do anything with it as they wish it. But as the years went by, the Whitehills quickly used up all of their Ironwood and never properly maintaining and preserving it all, unlike the Forresters who did it the right way.

Ever since then, the Whitehills have been bitter enemies with the Forresters and had been wanting to take the Ironwood every chance they got.

Now the Boltons… boy did they have quite the dark history. For starters, they used to flail people. Alive or dead, it didn't matter to them at all as they enjoyed their practices. And if that wasn't enough to make Roxas' stomach churn in absolute disgust, he was appalled upon knowing they used to wear the flayed skin as cloaks when out into battle. Well things became better after many skirmishes and wars over the years did the Starks stomp out this dark practice of theirs.

But rumor has it their old practice was slowly resurfacing again. No one knew exactly where it came from, either being from a worker or even a member of said House. And it wasn't big enough to warrant an investigation to dwell more into the issue.

'Maybe, at some point, I'll check out them out to see if it's all true.' Thought the Nobody. 'Don't know what I might do after departing Ironrath. So might as well put it on my list of places to explore.'

During their travel to Ironrath, Roxas asked about other parts of the new World he was in. Such as what the other Kingdoms were and the layout of the North. He did apologize in advance if Arthur couldn't give him much information, which the pig farmer appreciated.

There were Seven Kingdoms in total on the Westerosi continent: the aforementioned and present cold North, the Riverlands right below the Neck, the mountainous Vale, the bountiful Reach, the rugged Westerlands, the gloomy Stormlands, and Dorne; a place which reminded Roxas of Agrabah in terms of climate.

Each Kingdom has their numerous Houses, which would take too much time to list off and Arthur didn't know all of them; for obvious reasons. Outside of the North, he does at least know the ruling families for each region. The Riverlands have the Tullys, Arryn's nobly ruled the Vale, the Tyrells lead the Reach, the Baratheons hold the Stormlands, Lannisters own the Westerlands and the Dornish have their Martells.

And outside of Westeros, there was an extremely large continent across the Narrow Sea called Essos. More kingdoms -per say- but they were considered more savage over there in comparison to here. There were more cultures over there, which Arthur knew hardly anything outside of the Dothraki and the defunct Valyrian Empire. On the far end of Essos was Asshai and Yi Ti, and didn't know much from those two places.

Oh! And slavery was aparently fine over there, which Roxas found appaling.

Anything else in the World at large was either forgotten or not learned from Arthur. But right now, Roxas's thoughts were on the matter at hand. Not his destination, but his overall goal here.

This was an entirely new World he had landed on, and to be frank with himself, must be one of the largest he had ever stepped foot on. Judging by the mentions of being on one continent with another across this narrow sea Arthur mentioned, Roxas had quite a lot to see should he choose to explore.

After all, his past experiences were primarily exploring Worlds, which seemingly ranged for several city's worth.

There was a great amount of temptation to do just that after learning what he could from Arthur and this Ironrath they were going towards. He was free from Sora's Heart and was his own person now. He has the opportunity in doing such things and having his own experiences to enjoy.

Oh and there were also the House mottos that peaked his interest.

House Forrester had a good one from what Roxas considered: Iron from Ice. What he got out of it was becoming tough as iron from all the time spent in the North; hence Ice because of the climate, among other things.

But what drew the Nobody in the most were the words of House Stark: Winter is Coming.

After learning of the harsh winters this World suffers from, Roxas clearly understood its meaning. The first one that came to mind was obviously preparing for winter, but it also meant for bewaring any hardships you may face and remain vigilant.

Given what he went through in the Organization and what experiences he gained through Sora, Roxas could say he can take those words to Heart.

Glancing down for a moment, little Anna was sitting beside him while humming happily to herself making him momentarily pause in considering leaving. Short in a time he had been here, Roxas already saved Arthur and Anna with both taking a liking to the lost Nobody. And he had been enjoying accompanying the two to their liege lord's holding.

Outside of the lessons he had from Arthur and fighting against the occasional Heartless pack, Roxas decided to entertain the father/daughter pair by telling them stories of Sora's past adventures. Arthur found it quite amusing on hearing such things while Anna ate it up with gusto, truly drawn in with what he spoke.

"So a talking dog and duck were fighting these Heartless as well?" Anna asked in rapt attention.

"That's right." Roxas said with a small grin. "Donald and Goofy were quite the pair and when they paired up with Sora on his adventures, things got even crazier."

"Donald and Goofy?" Arthur murmured. "Stranger names then Roxas I suppose."

Roxas blinked. "Really?"

Arthur chuckled. "Lad, I'd be lying to you if I didn't find these names downright bizarre."

"Eh~ Take it what you will." Roxas shrugged. "I didn't give 'em their names."

It's fine as he wasn't pushing in making the man believe Sora's adventures; all in order to preserve the World Order.

The pig farmer looked on ahead, humming before speaking up. "Well~ well~ Seems we've finally arrived.

True to Arthur's word, the trio was able to make it all the way to Ironrath from the Tuttle pig farm the next day. What he didn't really expect, however, was the exact time they would arrive.

Arthur expected to make it much later, by a good chunk of hours, but because Roxas stayed up all night working the reigns on the cart. Sure it was at a slow pace in order to not wake up the father/daughter pair, but it worked out for the best.

Looking on, Roxas took note of Ironrath's appearance.

It wasn't exactly a castle in what he envisioned, but it was more of a fortress, an imposing stronghold really. And surrounding the Forrester home were many trees with much darker bark than what he normally saw.

"So~ What's so special about this place, again?" Roxas inquired. "It's pretty big."

Arthur chuckled once more. "Lad, this is an impressive holdfast but Winterfell beats them all out in scale, size and grandeur. Ironrath here is famous for the Forresters skills in having the understanding and knowledge of harvesting and preserving the Ironwood."

"Right~ you mentioned that before." Roxas said, leaning back into his seat while looking at the fortress. "So, do all these Houses you mentioned have big homes like these?"

"A large number of them do indeed." Arthur confirmed with a nod.

"Have you seen castles before?" Anna asked.

"Yeah, most were way bigger than this one." Roxas answered without really thinking about it, recalling the headquarters of Organization XIII, along with what he saw in Sora's memories; such as the castles in Radiant Gardens.

"How much bigger?" Anna asked.

Roxas took a moment to ponder the size of Ironrath in comparison to some of the stuff he had seen both in Sora's and in his own existence.

"Like… huge." Roxas held his arms out wide. "Super big. Could be considered a city for all intensive purposes."

"A castle the size of a city?" Arthur this time asked, clearly intrigued by such a concept.

Roxas nodded. "Smallest castle I previously saw was owned by a Beast of a man. And it was like… double or triple in terms of height with Ironrath here."

"What kind of beast?" Anna asked, once again allowing her imagination to run wild.

Roxas adopted a thinking pose and gave his best description. "Big… really, really big and super hairy. Like it was all over the place, I don't know how he dealt with all that hair." Roxas then inexplicably softened with a fond smile coming on. "But, even though he was tall and scary, he was… somewhat kind and gentle."

"Somewhat?"

"He had quite the quick temper, which didn't help him all that well with his beastly appearance." Roxas added with a laugh when he grew silent again. It took a moment but Roxas realized this rather strange feeling.

Looks like even being separated from Sora didn't remove the emotional memory of his past experiences. Even being apart and completely independent from him, he's still a part of him.

"Are you alright?" Anna asked.

"Yeah, just thinking."

"About what?"

"Nothing really important." Roxas gave the young girl an assuring smile. "Just some old memories."

"Old memories?" Arthur couldn't help but chortle. "Lad, you're too young to be saying phrases like that."

Roxas only grinned at the man's attitude, though Arthur's gaze went unnoticed.

Now, being a man of the North where many individuals are very plain and straightforward, Arthur wasn't the kind of man you'd expect to be exceptionally well at reading people. It wasn't a skill of his per say, yet he couldn't deny what he saw the few times he and Roxas locked eyes.

There was an age to him that did not reflect the youthful boy sitting before him. He was a young man with a warriors gaze. One who has seen too much in his short lifetime. Arthur was aware of how harsh and unforgiving the world was but Roxas… the Old gods only knows what he had recently endured.

His thoughts came to an end upon reaching the closed gates.

"Who goes there?" Spoke a guard from the higher level.

Arthur Tuttle stood at full height from his cart. "Arthur Tuttle, father to Gared Tuttle."

"And those two?"

"My daughter, Anna."

"Hi." Anna waved innocently.

"And a friend of ours."

Roxas simply nodded his head silently.

The guard gave the blond a momentary scrutinizing gaze, specifically at his clothes before returning his attention to Arthur. "And your business here?"

"We need to talk to Gregor Forrester on urgent matters."

The guard nodded before signalling the others to open up the gate.

A loud creaking was heard with the double door gate opened up wide for the Tuttle horse cart to move on through.

Upon passing through, Roxas got a good view of the keep's layout. From smaller homes situated along the walls -from servants to guests- to the stables visibly seen on the right hand side. He didn't know where the armory was, but figured the place was around the back.

All around, guards, commoners, smiths, bakers and so on went about their business.

'Seems similar to what I saw in the Dream World of Paris.'

"Come along Anna, Roxas." Arthur said, getting off the wagon with the two following suit.

Walking beside the two family members, Roxas continued to observe and take note of the town he was in.

Taking a second to look at some of the people, he did catch a few gazes of some of the civilians getting mixed reactions.

Several of the guards eyed him up and down and it appeared as though they were assessing whether or not he was a threat and stared a bit intently at his clothes.

Some looked at him suspiciously, not recognizing his face though that was to be expected as he never came here.

There were a pair of women who glanced over to him and in the brief moment they caught his eye, flashed a rather… unusual expression in his direction.

Quirking a brow at their faces, Roxas simply shook his head.

With the trio coming closer to the castle, they saw a pair of men stepping from the front entrance as they were chatting amongst each other.

The first one was a young teenager with features similar to Arthur and Anna. From his light brown hair reaching towards his square jaw. His attire looked rather nice, even if roughed up on several areas. And embroidered above his breast was the Forrester House sigil.

Said sigil was that of a white tree -probably an ironwood tree- on a black field, embellished with a black sword pointed downwards.

The second was much older and had more closer features with Arthur, given his finger length brown hair and matching beard. His attire seemed similar to the younger man's, but more refined as it was it seemed to fit with some sort of status.

"-I'm telling you, uncle, things are fine."

"I know it is, Gared. I just don't know if you're cut out for that part of your training just yet."

"Uncle, how am I supposed to prove myself if I'm not given a chance?"

"You do have to consider those words, my brother."

This snapped the pair's conversation, quickly turning towards the source and spoke in absolute shock.

"Father!" Gared said aloud with joy, noticing his little sister as well. "Anna!"

The young man jogged over and was met halfway by Anna, the two embracing with a laugh. Arthur walked over with a warm smile, patting his son on the shoulder.

"Arthur?" Spoke the man who Roxas believed was Duncan. "What in the Old Gods are you doing here?"

Arthur looked to his brother. "Good to see you as well, brother."

"Forgive me, brother. It's just that… you said you never wanted to leave the farm-"

Arthur waved him down. "It's alright, Duncan. I know my words. I wouldn't go against them unless they pertain to my duties as a father, brother and loyalty to my liege and family."

"Right, of course." Duncan then embraced his brother in a hug. "It's good to see you again."

"You too."

Breaking their embrace, Duncan smiled as he felt his niece hugging him. "My, you look so much bigger since I last saw you, deary."

Anna merely giggled.

Duncan then looked over and rose a quizzical brow at the third party. "And who is this young man?"

Clearing his throat, Arthur went over to the blue eyed boy and placed a firm hand on the lads shoulder.

"This is a friend, Roxas." Arthur said. "One we owe our lives to."

Duncan blinked, registering his brother's words. "Did something happen?"

"Yes and we would've been lost if it weren't for his service."

"Bandits?" Guessed the castellan as it wasn't all that common for those unsavory types running around.

Arthur grimaced. "No… not exactly."

"Then what was it?" Gared asked anxiously.

"Something I wish to explain to Gregor." Arthur said in complete seriousness. "Out in the open like this, people would say I've gone mad… or become quite scared."

"Father, no one here would think that." Gared tried to assure with his father only shaking his head.

"It's as if you're saying the Others are running around as we speak." Duncan couldn't help but jest though he quickly frowned at the stern eyes of his brother. Whatever it was that they had encountered was a serious matter.

Coughing into his hand, Duncan nodded his head.

"If you'll follow me, then."

"And Roxas here needs to come with."

"Pardon?"

"He was the one who saved Anna and I and has more details on what almost took our lives."

"Roxas saved us from the monsters." Anna explained.

"Monsters?" Gared muttered.

"Yeah, monsters. Really scary."

Duncan hummed, processing this before addressing his nephew. "Gared, why don't you give your sister a tour of the keep. I believe she's long overdue for it."

Getting the idea on what is requested, the fresh squire complied as he gently grasped Anna's hand. "Come on, Anna. Let me show you the garden."

"There's a garden here?"

"Yes. It's near the entrance to the Ironwood."

With the siblings walking off, Duncan ushered Arthur and Roxas to follow him.

Walking up the steps, Roxas continued on his old habit of analyzing his surroundings while walking into the large home. The large tree was carved into the front two doors when they swung open.

'Pretty nice place so far.' Thought the Nobody, passing by several servants going on with their business.

"Through here." Duncan said, stopping at another closed door.

Entering inside, the pair saw it was some sort of meeting room. From the far end, there was a raised platform with a lone chair sitting at the middle. On the left side was a fireplace with a flame set ablaze.

In a quick glance, the Nobody saw that above the fireplace was either a painting or quite the nice stitching of a large family. It consisted of eight people in total: a father, a mother, four sons and two daughters.

Before he could look at it in more detail at the immediate time, Roxas' attention went elsewhere as he saw a man coming towards them. And by the similarities between him and the artwork, he figured the man was the "father".

Said man was aged, yet no less imposing. His hair was slicked back and greying with a full beard that appeared to only define his square. His clothes, while simple, were well made and taking after the tree emblems colors. Next to him must be the wife and mother of the portrait, slender and calm with sharp cheekbones and faded light brown hair.

Upon seeing the pig farmer, the man's expression slightly brightened.

"It's been a while since I've seen you last, Arthur."

"Indeed it has, milord."

"Do you need some help with the farm? Are the pigs doing alright?"

"In order, no and yes. But I'm not here to discuss about that."

"...Then what is it then?"

"There was… an incident, Lord Gregor."

"And what kind of incident was this?" Spoke Gregor's wife. She then looked towards the well dressed lad beside the pig farmer. "And who is this? A volunteer for the Night's Watch?"

Gregor took a moment to go over Roxas's clothing. "Doesn't seem so. Looks too… refine for such an attire. And not nearly warm enough."

Arthur chuckled. "My thoughts exactly, milord."

"I'm actually quite fine wearing this." Roxas stated. "Cold or hot, nothing really bothered me as I wear this."

Many within the hall blinked at the boys abrupt blunt comment. Even Arthur found himself surprised though Gregor now leaned forward, keen to know about him.

"What is your name, Lad?"

"Roxas."

"Roxas…" Gregor tested the name upon his lips. "Strange name."

"Blame the one who gave it to me. Besides, like my outfit, I'm fine with it."

Gregor blinked once more before grinning at the boy. He didn't appear to be joking or making witty remarks of any kind. He just seemed forward with every statement he's made so far.

"Very well then… Roxas. Mind telling us why you're here."

"He's actually one of the reasons I have come before you, Lord Forrester." Arthur spoke up respectfully. "Something had occurred a day ago at my farm that nearly resulted in the demise of myself and my daughter."

"What?" Gregor said sharply, posture straightening out. "What do you mean, Arthur? What has happened?"

"No need to panic, my lord." Arthur promised. "The threat has been dealt with by this young man's own hands. I owe mine and my daughters life to him."

"...And what was this threat you speak of? Bandits?"

"I already told my brother this, but no bandits or any wild animals."

"What then?"

"Monsters."

"...I beg your pardon?" Questioned Lady Forrester.

"The Heartless." Roxas spoke up. "They were attacking Arthur and Anna's farm before I took care of them."

"You surely must be jesting, child." Spoke the matriarch.

"He speaks truth, My lord, My lady." Arthur said with no joking tone. "Roxas here is extremely skilled with a blade and took out these 'Heartless' in quick and rapid succession."

"He's a swordsman?" Gregor said in confusion. "Forgive me if I seem rude, Arthur, but I do not see sword on him. Is he a knight?"

"Why does everyone keep asking that?" Roxas asked under his breath.

"For argument's sake, Roxas, you were quite heroic and it was the first that came to mind for Anna and I."

The Nobody merely grumbled.

"And Roxas."

"Yeah, Arthur."

"Mind if you… well, you know." Arthur rolled his hand to his and held it out in a familiar manner.

Blinking, Roxas realized what the pig farmer meant. "Ah, right."

Holding out his hand, the Lord and Lady of House Forrester was about to question on what the boy was doing until a flash of light appeared within their gaze. It was momentarily blinding, due to them focusing at his hand. Once the light died down, they stood there mouth gaped in seeing the Oathkeeper Keyblade within Roxas' grasp. Those within the hall jumped slightly, with all eyes now glued upon the Keyblade within Roxas' hand.

"What in the world."

"By the Old gods!"

"Arthur." Elissa stood from her chair. "What is this?"

Roxas gave a small smile. "First off, magic. Second, this here is a Keyblade. Only thing that helps keep the Heartless at bay."

He was met with hushed whispers from some and silence from the lord and lady,

"Magic, you say?" Gregor asked quietly after a few moments.

"And Key… blade." Spoke his wife. "Strange name."

"I agree with you on that, Lady Elissa."

"Yup and I got two of 'em." Roxas held out his other free hand and another flash of blackened light appeared to reveal his Oblivion Keyblade.

Gregor stared in utter wonder but also great trepidation at the strange boy before him.

Narrowing his eyes, he thought more on the boy's appearance and a bit more on the strange key-shaped swords in his grasp. There was a small part of his mind that spoke whispers of familiarity, but he couldn't place it when or where.

Knowing he will drive himself mad in trying to figure out the nagging feeling, he pushed the thoughts aside momentarily.

"These monsters you spoke of… Heartless, you called them?" Gregor said, getting a nod out of the boy. "What exactly are-"

"MY LORD!"

The doors to the room burst open with a guard falling to his knees.

"Royland?" Gregor got out of his chair, disturbed by his guards sudden appearance.

Roxas turned around and saw a man in a loose set of armor meant to give the wearer more mobility. His short, graying hair was partially slicked back while his long, strong face was currently worn with a look of distress.

The identified man known as Royland sucked in some air, looking up to his liege lord in great fear.

"Lord Forrester, there is an attack upon the town." Royland pointed out towards the window and no sooner had he said that, screams began to be heard coming from outside.

"What?!" Gregor cried out in anger and shock, stepping down from his platform while guards began to go to their lord.

"When did this happen?!"

"J-Just now!"

"How!"

"Is it the Whitehills?" Elissa questioned in a worried, yet controlled tone. "I knew they were impatient, but doing an attack all of a sudden-"

"No." Royland rapidly shook his head. "It was these… creatures with glowing yellow eyes and…"

In a span of a second, Roxas' form disappeared from his spot.

"Roxas!" Arthur called out to the young lad who had already began running past the guard and back out towards the castle entrance while grasping both his Keyblades. "By the gods, he was fast."

-Insert Kingdom Hearts 3: Tensions Rising-

Bursting forth past the doors, unintentionally breaking them off their hinges, Roxas landed in the center of the town while bringing both Keyblades down to eliminate a Soldier Heartless that was beneath him.

Panic filled the vicinity with commonfolk running around, either for seeking safety or trying to quickly mobilize to fend off the Heartless invaders. Yet nothing they were doing offensively were doing much good at all.

Standing up while getting in his usual combat stance, Roxas' eyes darted around left and right spotting the various areas that the Heartless were attacking.

Shadows, Neo-shadows, Werewolves, Soldiers and a few air-soldiers to round out this wave of Heartless.

And around him, a dozen Shadows appeared from the ground twitching around as they usually do.

"Tch." Roxas flung his Oathkeeper upwards. "THUNDER."

Sparks of lightning rained down from above, quickly striking a good number of darkened adversaries. Some quickly dispersed into black vapors while the rest were stunned. Leaping at them, the Nobody spun around and cleaved through them with ease.

"Not a moment's rest, I suppose." Roxas said beneath his breath, sprinting forward at several Werewolf Heartless that were harassing a young couple and a blacksmith.

Jumping into the air, Roxas came down with a horizontal strike with his Oblivion instantly destroying one.

Not stopping for a moment, Roxas whirled round with a powerful spin to sliced through two more Werewolves until catching the last one that tried to sneak up on him with the teeth of his Oathkeeper and slamming it down to the ground, it's heart bursting out and floating up into the sky before vanishing.

Looking up to the three terrified civilians in front of him, Roxas tried to give them a comforting smile.

"It's gonna be alright." He promised. "Get back inside and-GAH."

The woman of the couple screamed as one Shadow managed to jump up behind him and get a good hit on his left shoulder.

Stomping his foot down on the ground, Roxas bent down and swung his arm up, striking and eliminating the Heartless that got him.

"Go." Roxas said more forcefully this time. "I'll take care of them."

Seeing them nod and run indoors, Roxas returned his attention to the Heartless, the closest being a few Soldiers running around the village.

Charging forward, Roxas twirled his Oblivion into a backhanded grip. Getting to the nearest Soldiers, Roxas cut through them with ease running through the shadowy leftover wisps.

Spinning his Oathkeeper and Oblivion now in tandem, Roxas slashed through a handful of Soldiers and Shadows until he raised Oathkeeper up to hold back a Werewolf that attempted to jump on him for a nasty bite. Holding it up in place, Roxas simply angled his Oathkeeper in hand and then slammed the Heartless down to the ground dissipating it.

Roxas then heard something shattering shingles and looked up to see Werewolves and Soldiers leaping about the rooftops with the Air-Soldier flying overhead.

Jumping up into the air, Roxas uppercut a Soldier as he got onto a rooftop when he was suddenly knocked back from an Air-Soldier that flew up from below.

The Nobody quickly recovered while in the air before diving down and striking the Werewolf Heartless across the head. While in his momentum, he fired off a Blizzard spell to quickly freeze another wolf-themed adversary in place.

Zooming at the frozen Heartless, the Key of Truth made quick work of it once swinging his weapons in quick succession. With it disbursing into smoke, Roxas cut into the ice and sent a large chunk right into a Neoshadow. The attack stunned it momentarily before it retaliated for his action.

Rushing out of his home, Gregor saw the display before him and was bewildered by what he was seeing.

"By the gods…"

He wasn't the only one as Royland, who just arrived by his lord's side, and several other guards and soldiers shared a similar reaction.

"My word."

"How's he able to jump that high?"

"Is that magic he usin'?"

Shaking his head out of his stupor, Gregor called out to his men. "Enough lolly-gagging men. We need to fend off these creatures! They have invaded our home and attacked our people!"

He was met with a roar of agreement from the guards, with swords being drawn and footsteps thundering beneath them.

Falling from a high building, Roxas threw Oathkeeper into an Air Soldier as it's spinning blade cleaved it in two. With his Oblivion, he sliced through a Neoshadow that was in his way. And just as he landed, the Oathkeeper reappeared back in his hand only for him to throw it once more threw several more Heartless on the ground.

He continued his brief Strike Raid.when he saw the Forrester guards and their lord Gregor enter the fray,

"Wait." Roxas called out to them but they didn't hear as several began hacking and slashing at the closest Heartless only to inflict little to no damage.

"Dammit, they're gonna get turned." Roxas moved to aid them only to get hounded by Werewolves. "Grr, backoff!"

Roxas swung his Keyblades upwards in a diagonal manner, taking out his attackers.

Meanwhile, the Forreester men were finding out just how difficult and ineffective their weapons were against these creatures.

"Sturdy bastards!" Roared one of the Forrester soldiers.

"GAH! Get it off me!" Cried another as a Shadow latched onto his head.

"Let go, you mangy mutt!" Yelled Royland, trying to pry his sword from a Werewolf Heartless' maw.

"THUNDERA!"

A rumble of thunder filled the air before many bolts of lightning struck the earth all at once. The ground shook in response with the adversaries being electrocuted where they stood. Even a few Forrester men were hit in the crossfire as they were stunned as a result.

"Sorry about that!" Roxas quickly apologized as he cleaved through the Heartless holding onto Royland's sword before quickly assisting Duncan.

"Our weapons don't work on these beasts." Duncan Tuttle rasped out, holding his sword in dismay.

"They do little to no damage, I'm afraid, with regular weaponry-"

Suddenly, the familiar bursting sound of a Heartless was heard all turned to see Gregor Forrester panting heavily while wielding his own greatsword.

"...Huh, would you look at that." Roxas spoke in amazement.

"My lord." Duncan and the other guards gathered round him while he stood back to his full height.

"By the old Gods, what matter of beasts are these?" Gregor rasped out, panting heavily.

"They're called the Heartless." Answered the Keyblader. "Creatures of darkness."

"These are what attacked Arthurs farm?" Gregor inquired.

Roxas only nodded. "Yeah and sad to say, they are great in numbers."

This only served to greater terrify the men before him at the thought of facing such overwhelmingly terrifying foes.

Before anyone could either rest or question more about what Roxas just spoke of, a series of screams and yells were heard.

Gregors head whipped in the direction the IronWood forest with great panic and fear. "Ethan! Gared! My children!"

"It's coming from the Ironwood grove!"

"We must hurry!"

Roxas however was already running past them at near unseeable speeds, appearing only as a blur.

"Bloody hells, he's fast!"

"Right?"

-Ironwood Grove-

Gared Tuttle was tired, breathing heavily while holding out a dagger before him as he wished he had an actual sword instead.

Talia and Ethan Forrester stood behind him whilst Gared's sister Anna held his leg tightly in fear.

The Forrester twins were out playing in the family grove, as per usual, when they encountered new squire serving under their father along with his little sister. They got to know him since his arrival and they became fast friends. After all, he was going to be serving their House for the rest of his days, so it would be best to get along with him to build a strong relationship. And the same went with Gared's little sister, who they just met.

Granted, if they lived past this, both Ethan and Talia would make sure that Gared would always hold a place of high regard in their household for displaying such bravery in protecting them.

If they were to live past this of course.

"Lord Ethan." Gared breathed out tiredly, nudging Anna back to them. "Please take my sister and get to safety. It's too dangerous for you all here."

"But Gared-"

"Now!" Gared said authorively. "Please my lord, for you sisters sake and my own."

"Big brother!' Anna cried out to him just as a Werewolf Heartless pounced.

*SWISH*

In a large plumb of darkened smoke, a figure landed on the other side with his Keyblades held out with it's wielder crouched down.

"Roxas!" Anna cried out in complete joy and relief.

"Stay behind me." Roxas instructed, standing back into his stance.

"Roxas?" Gared muttered in surprise.

"Who?" Ethan and Talia said in unison.

Spinning his Keyblades in his hands, he clashed them against each other to give out a loud sound within the dense Ironwood forest. Each and every Heartless within the vicinity now drew their attention towards the Keyblader.

"The minute you guys see your chance, run back to Ironrath." Roxas instructed in a room that brokered no arguments. "Others will be waiting for you along the way."

"What about you?" Gared couldn't help but ask.

"These guys are mine."

"But-"

"Gared." Anna tugged on her brothers leg, making him look down to her. "You can trust Roxas. This is what he save me and father from yesterday."

Several Neoshadows leapt at their target, causing Roxas to spin around and cleave through them once they got in close. Kicking one which tried to attack him from behind was soon met with a succession of Fire spells which soon spread onto the others.

"Gared, Anna, Whoever you two are, go now!" Roxas exclaimed as more Heartless charged at him.

Seeing as he had no choice, Gared lifted up Anna and gestured his head for the two Forrester siblings to follow after him as they ran back to Ironrath.

Backflipping toward the large tree behind him, Roxas placed his feet onto the nearby tree trunk and pushed off to propel himself towards a Werewolf. Stabbing Oblivion into it's back, the Nobody hurled the creature away; which collided into one of it's companions. Raising his Keyblades into the air, he focused a lot of power into them and formed a large ice crystal. Said crystal then burst into smaller pieces as he performed Blizzard Burst; which its projectiles went all over to stab and freeze many opposition around him.

Crossing his arms, he then flung them forward with his Keyblades flying out of his hands and spinning around rapidly around him and cutting through and shattering the frozen Heartless.

Flying back into his hands, Roxs thrust his Oblivion forward through an airborne Neoshadow.

Roxas exhaled, returning to his stance once more as he observed the remaining few dozen Heartless.

He felt himself grin for a brief moment, feeling his own powers course through him. It was rather invigorating feeling his power, his own power that he had accumulated welling up within him.

"Another round then."

Running through the forest, Gared, Anna and the Forrester twins panted as their lungs felt like they were burning. They didn't know how much farther they had to go to for safety. It seemed like forever due to the attack currently taking place.

Luckily for them, it seemed to end once they saw friendly faces coming right at them.

"Gared! Anna!" Duncan cried out.

"Uncle!" Spoke said siblings.

"Talia! Ethan!"

"Father!" The twins yelled in relief in seeing their father.

With both parties reunited, smiles were amongst them all.

"I'm glad you lot are safe." Spoke the Forrester patriarch before looking around. "Where's Roxas?"

"He's back there, holding off the Heartless so we can escape." Answered the castellan's niece.

"Seven hells." One of the guards said aloud.

"Alone?" Gregor asked anxiously.

"He told us to run, father." Ethan said with great fear. "Father, what is this? What were those things?"

"Something I'd like to know more about, Lord Ethan." Royland muttered out.

"Get back to the castle, the lot of you." Gregor addressed the youngsters. "It's better safe there than here."

"But Father, what of the boy who-" Talia spoke up only for Gregor to hold up his hand.

"We shall go and assist him." Gregor stated. "We of the North do not forget the bravery of those willing to defend our people."

"The North remembers." Duncan said aloud.

"Aye." Gregor nodded. "Go now, children. Keep them safe, Gared."

"With my life, my lord."

The adults didn't look back as they ran deeper into the woods in hopes of reaching Roxas in time.

Off in the distance, the familiar and unfamiliar sounds of battle was heard metal hitting the Heartless no doubt with other sounds that were a range of strange implosions, brief crackles of lightning and a sharp hiss.

Just as the group arrived, they saw Roxas raise both of his Keyblades into the air as a large silvery, black shape shifting orb formed above his weapons. Soon enough, many Heartless were ripped off of the ground and air as if they were being drawn towards the orb. And once there, they seemed to fly around it as they struggled to break free.

Jumping back while spinning his weapons, Roxas got low to the ground before disappearing from view entirely.

He reappeared a second later with his arms crossed in X-shaped fashion, Keyblades out forward. Leaves and twigs flew up into the air upon his sudden appearance and from behind, the Heartless that were all jumbled together around that conjured orb burst into shadowy wisps with a dozen or more hearts within spherical containers flying up into the air, vanishing a moment later.

Even several nearby Ironwood trees were not spared as they were sliced all the way through, toppling over and emanating large crashes in the vicinity.

It was utterly silent for nearly an entire minute until…

"Seven hells."

"Holy…"

"He cut through those thick Ironwoods with one blow."

"By the Old Gods, what is he?!"

Standing up, Roxas looked back at the assembled men and spoke up as he dismissed his Keyblades in motes of black and white wisps of light. "Oh… everyone alright?"

Some of the men were trying their best to find a way to answer considering just how casual this young man was acting after such rather insane events.

Composing himself with a cough, Gregor stepped forward. "Yes, I believe so, young man." Looking back in the direction of his family keep, he frowned. "Don't know of the casualties just yet, but I hope things are well there."

Roxas then smiled a shiny white, toothy smile. "That's great to hear."

Gregor then found himself smiling a bemused smile himself. "Yes, that is indeed wonderful to hear."

Royland was the next to speak. "We must get back posthaste, my lord. The common folk will want answers on what just happened."

"Right." Gregor nodded, turning to leave only to find Roxas remaining still. "Well, are you not coming, Roxas?"

"Huh?" Roxas blinked.

-Ironrath Square-

Chatter filled the air, mixture from all sorts of emotions. Fire's had to be quickly put out and people had to be quickly attended from the recent attack.

This was what Rodrick Forrester, heir to Ironrath, came to witness upon his arrival just mere moments ago.

"What in the name of the Old Gods happened here?" Rodrick asked in fear and confusion once he entered his home.

"Brother!"

Rodrick looked over and saw his twin siblings running towards him with the recent family squire and a little girl he was unfamiliar with trailing not far behind.

"Talia! Ethan! What is going on? Were we attacked or something!" both siblings threw themselves onto their older brother, hugging him tightly.

"Yes, by monsters." Ethan responded.

"Monsters?" The heir repeated. "What do you mean by monsters?"

"Rodrick."

Now he saw his mother walking her way over to him quickly with his youngest brother Ryon held in her arms.

"Mother." He calmly spoke as he walked up to her. "What's going on?"

"Something happened, son, and everyone is in a frenzy."

"Lord Gregor!" A random civilian shouted, with everyone now looking towards the entrance of the Ironwoods where the Forrester patriarch had emerged from with the rest of the family guard and right by his side was a young man, a few years older possibly then Rodricks twin siblings garbed entirely in black, with spiky blond hair and striking blue eyes.

"Who's that with father?"

"He's Roxas." Anna spoke up with a smile. "He saved us from the Heartless."

This got word to quickly spread from the common folk. Most was questionable for those that didn't see the Nobody in action. Others confirmed such things as they witnessed him perform unimaginable feats.

Seeing things may get a bit out of hand, Gregors cleared his throat.

"People of Ironrath." Gregor's voice echoed across the holdfast. "I ask you to calm yourselves. Those strange creatures are no more. They will not threaten our land again."

"What were those things, milord?" A brave man asked for the common folk.

Gregor scrunched his face up with thought, looking towards Roxas who had remained still yet relaxed. Realizing that Gregor had been staring at him, Roxas met his gaze and saw the expectant look the Lord was giving to him with his eyes darting to the people that wanted answers.

Releasing a sigh, the Nobody stepped forward.

"They were the Heartless." Roxas said loud and clear for all to hear just as a hush fell over the crowd when he began to speak. "They are creatures of darkness, born of the darkness within people's hearts that are lured to any and all that can hold one."

More murmurings came yet he went on.

"I've been hunting them for a long time. And they are numerous with almost no end." He bittely said.

This of course only cause a new wave of panic to wash over the civilians of Ironrath only for Gregor to bang his sword against his armor to silence them and allow Roxas to continue.

"But don't worry, folks. I'm here to help any way I can."

"How?!"

"With magic, of course." Came his reply, summoning his Oblivion Keyblade into his hand. "And with this guy here."

A silence fell over the crowd at the weapon that appeared in the young lads hand from literally thin air.

Dismissing the key-shaped weapon, Roxas continued. "Now just so you all know, I'm gonna keep on doing what I do best and keep you all safe. And it's not just here at Ironrath, but all over-"

"My lord." One of the guards spoke up, an older gentleman who had not seen Roxas's combative skills. "Are you sure of trusting this boy?"

At this, Roxas felt a spike of annoyance and irritation. Who the hell was this old guy to question him so rudely? He saved their lives for crying out loud from the goodness of his own Heart!

...Well if he actually has one or not is still up for debate.

Luckily for him, Gregor Forrestor was having none of it.

"Hold your tongue, Ganfreed." Gregor said with authority. "You as well as everyone here, including my children owe their very lives to this young man. Had it not been for his skills and magic, my children may have been killed along with many more within this very holding. I will not have him disrespected in my keep."

Properly scolded, the elder guard bowed his head apologetically while Roxas gave Gregor an appreciative smile which he reciprocated by patting the young man's shoulder.

"Is that understood, Ganfreed?"

"Y-Yes, my lord."

With that bit of problem out of the way, Roxas gave the Forrester patriarch a thankful nod before Gregor continued speaking.

"Where is Maester Ortengym?" Gregor asked the crowd.

"Here my lord."

Said man made his way to the front of the crowd. "Sorry if I weren't here sooner, but the people needed my assistance.

"No need to forgive your duty, Ortengym." Gregor said placatingly. "I was going to assign you the task regardlessly. Once you have finished checking on the wounded, return to the ravenry and send a letter out to Lord Glover and Lord Stark at once. They must be made aware of what has transpired here."

"At once, My Lord." Ortengym said with a bow.

With the people disbursing and trying to go back to their everyday lives and tasks, the Forrester heir came up to his family's savior.

"So, you are the man responsible for rescuing my family and my home." Rodrick said, going up to the Keyblade Wielder with his hand out. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart."

"No problem." Roxas said, accepting his hand and shaking.

"Quite the grip you have there. Roxas was it?"

The Nobody nodded. "I thank you once more. I am Rodrick Forrester. Whatever it is you ask of me, I will do my utmost of power to deliver to you."

"Rodrik."

Their exchange was cut short as the Maester stood before the two; to which Roxas took note of his appearance.

He was some inches away from six feet tall, having thick brown hair with a matching beard. His robes were greyish blue in color. And a unique thing about him was the odd looking chain hanging off his neck. And with how it was odd was that it was composed with different sorts of materials for each specific link.

"Ortengym." Rodrik said pleasantly.

"It's wonderful to have you home once more, my lord. I only wish your return was met under better circumstances." Ortengym said apologetically.

"I am just grateful to hear that it was saved by our new friend, Roxas."

"How was visiting Elaena, if I may ask?"

"It was well. Still trying to keep our relationship strong." Rodrik asked though there was a light tint in his cheeks making Ortengym smile.

"Quite good to know." The maester then turned his attention towards the Nobody. "Fascinating to see magic first hand, even for the briefest of moments."

Roxas merely shrugged. "I can use magic more than just fighting."

Ortengym could barely contain his exploding interest with even Rodrik finding himself tempted at asking just what more he was capable of.

"Like what?"

"Well… healing."

This peaked the maester's interest more than before. "Truly?"

Roxas nodded.

"Then could you possibly assist me in healing the common folk if you can do so?"

"Don't see the harm in that."

"Wonderful."

Roxas gave a brief nod to Rodrick as they knew they'll pick up on whatever conversation is at a later time. For now, he is doing what he does best in helping out others.

After all, it's something he picked up quite well from his Somebody.

-Later-

Roxas sighed as he pulled out another Ether from his Organization cloak and ate down it's contents. He soon felt his magic reserves filling back up after casting the several variants of the Cure spell towards the Ironrath populace.

To say that he had now gotten favor with the people of Ironrath would rather be understating it.

How you may ask?

Gregor declared a small celebratory feast in his honor of his heroic deeds in keeping the people safe as well as healing the populous.

Of course shortly after this declaration, Gregor had Roxas eat up bread and salt. It was odd for the Nobody in the little request, but it was cleared up on his confusion that it was in order to perform guest rights. Which only furthered his questions on just what that meant altogether.

Something about no blood being spilt within the homes of those who offer the gestures. Even violence between guest and host would break the rights, which was heavily frowned upon.

Honestly, to him it just sounded like something along the plain lines of don't be a massive jerk to those hosting your presence in their home. Simple enough to remember.

Though he didn't know how long these rights would last if it was during the entirety of his stay here or indefinitely. But he figured with his good deeds here, it might fall towards the later.

"Thank you, Ser." Spoke a random commoner.

Roxas groaned. "I'm no knight."

"Despite the lack of knights in the North, the people see you as such."

Turning around, he was met with the young girl he saved earlier at the forest.

"Talia, right?"

She nodded as she gave him a small smile. "It's good that the people here are happy after such a terrifying experience." The Forrester girl shuddered. "It was as if being in a waking nightmare."

'Oh if you only knew.' Thought the Nobody. "Well nothing else can be done now, but live another day, I suppose."

Talia flitted with her blouse nervously. "I just wanted to thank you."

Roxas looked at her and saw that the young little Lady was wearing a bit of a blush on her cheeks though he couldn't exactly figure out why.

"You saved my brother, Gared and little Anna and I." Talia muttered with Roxas barely hearing her last comment. "You save me like a hero from stories of old."

"What?"

Realizing she let that one slip, Talia's face turned crimson and made sure to keep her eyes firmly on the ground.

"Sorry, it was nothing."

Roxas tilted his head and wore a questioning look that made her want to look away from those deep blue eyes that she could possibly drown in.

Before any form of embarrassment could arise, a saving grace appeared in the form of her twin brother.

"Ah, there you are." Ethan said. "Knew I'd find you here."

"And you did, Ethan."

"Roxas." Ethan said, looking up to the Nobody with clear admiration. "I probably know you've heard this dozens of times already, but I want to thank you for what you've done today."

Roxas waved him off. "It's no biggy."

"...No biggy?"

The Nobody groaned. "I'm not dealing with that again."

"...Still, what you did will be remembered." Ethan said. "Both for House Forrester and its people here. I don't know if you are aware of this, but no action is ever forgotten here in the North; both good and bad. The North Remembers. And it will remember your deeds in aiding Ironrath in its time of need."

"It's no problem at all, Ethan. Anyone in their right mind should help out those in need."

The twins knew he was trying to be sincere on the situation, not wanting to let the glory get into his head. Anyone else in such a position would've had that occur.

"For our sincere thanks, would you like a tour of the keep?" Talia asked with a small smile.

"It's the least we could do." Continued her twin.

Roxas didn't need to be told twice, quickly accepting their offer.

Ethan was the one leading the trio with Talia looping her arm around the Keyblader's. Even if the little action was unexpected, he didn't mind it at all.

Walking through the keep was a nice experience for the Nobody. Being able to freely explore the holdfast with his own eyes seemed much better than going through Sora's memories and what missions he went through in the Organization.

Though there was still some restrictions as to where he couldn't go to exactly; such as the armory and the bedchambers for obvious reasons.

While being escorted, Roxas got to know the Forrester twins.

Ethan has quite the love for music and books, spending most of his days either in the family library or in the Ironwood grove; reading or writing quite often. He was called an unofficial maester a few times because of this, but it was more of a joke.

Talia does enjoy embroidering, mostly because it's one activity a noble girl like her could keep herself busy daily. Aside from this, she often plays in the Ironwood grove and much like her older brother, the younger twin enjoys music. Even to the point where she tries writing songs alongside Ethan.

"And how many have you two written?"

Talia adopted a thinking pose as the three of them walked through the Ironwood grove. "It's hard to say. I've lost track."

"A couple dozen." Came Ethan's response, quickly earning their attention. "I do try to remember the amount on hand, sister. And unlike you, I keep a record of all our work together."

"Then I appreciate it, my good brother."

"I'd like to hear some of your songs, actually." Roxas suddenly said.

The twins looked at their savior in surprise.

"Y-You do?" Talia hesitantly said.

Call it stage fright, if you will, but she never sang in front of anyone else before; asides from family members.

"Yeah." The Keyblader then noticed her discomfort. "But it's fine if you don't want to."

"No, no." Ethan quickly said. "It's… It's just a surprise that someone would ask us such a thing."

"Sorry then." Roxas said sheepishly. "Didn't mean to catch you off guard like that."

"It's alright." Talia said blushing once more. Something her brother caught onto, making him smirk mischievously.

"I'm not a singer," Ethan then jabbed his thumb towards his sister, "but she is."

"Ethan!"

"What? You have a nice singing voice, Talia." Ethan said like it was the obvious thing.

"I-I do not."

"She really does, Roxas." Ethan said with a beaming grin. "She's just not used to singing in front of others. Especially those that saved her life in such a heroic fashion."

Her face was burning now and was feeling a bit more embarrassed with each passing second.

"You could sing during the feast." Ethan said, snapping his fingers for emphasis. "That way we can truly honor Roxas for his deeds. Both with the people and as House Forrester."

Roxas scratched the back of his head, bemused by the interaction between these two.

"If it makes you feel any better, I do know a few songs."

This bit of information got the twins to focus back at the Nobody.

"You do?" Ethan inquired. "Any we would know of?"

Roxas held out his hand in an iffy manner. "Eh~ Not really."

During last night when Arthur and Anna rested in the cart, the pig farmer sang his daughter a good number of songs to help her sleep. There was the Bear and the Maiden Fair and some other songs that didn't catch Roxas' interest all that much.

"To tell you the truth, I know these songs from both a friend and a former co-worker of mine respectively."

"Co-worker?" Ethan and Talia said in unison.

"We worked together in the same… company."

"You were a sell-sword?"

"Nope. He helped take care of the Heartless with me for a time." Roxas said, getting them to nod a little.

"Then… would you mind telling us these songs you know of?"

Roxas shrugged. "Don't see why not. Mind you these sounded better with him playing his sitar. And he had a better singing voice than I do… I think."

"Sitar?" Talia repeated in interest at the instrument. She had heard of such an exotic instrument but they were more popular down south and apparently across the sea in Essos.

"It's like a bard's instrument."

This made the twins nod.

Coughing a little, he sat down on a stump which he unintentionally made from the Heartless attack from earlier; which still surprised the twins greatly when learning of this.

Scrunching up his face, Roxas tried recalling the old song Demyx had played once in between missions and these were on of the few that he surprisingly enjoyed.

From what number IX of the Organization described it as, it was a song of an epic journey across a vast land with a group of companions.

Far over the misty mountains cold

To dungeons deep and caverns old

We must away ere break of day

To find our long-forgotten gold

Roxas' voice seemed to reverberate throughout the Ironwood grove, making it feel as the lyrics carried more weight than he realized.

The pines were roaring on the height

The winds were moaning in the night

The fire was red, it flaming spread

The trees like torches blazed with light

The twins clapped by the end of the song as Roxas grinned, feeling a bit proud of himself.

"I do believe Demyx -my former co-worker- had the song longer, but I didn't get the chance to catch the rest."

"It's completely fine, Roxas. What you just sang was more than enough." Talia assured.

"It sounds quite exciting." Ethan said. "Wish I could hear the full song."

"Maybe, by chance, we can meet this Demyx and he can give us the full song."

The twins then noticed Roxas' mood seemed down.

"...Is something the matter?" Asked the female twin.

"Sorry, just… he's no longer around anymore."

The twins looked at each other, which Ethan was the one to voice their shared thought. "Is he…"

Roxas gave a quick nod, quickly answering their assumption of Demyx's death.

"I'm sorry." Talia said earnestly.

"It's alright." Roxas said with a blank face, yet sorrowful eyes. "We weren't exactly… close to form a real … he was a good guy. Never did me any real harm and was nicer than most. Honestly deserved better than he got when I think about it."

They didn't wish to dwell on such negative thoughts around the man who saved them, so Ethan steered their conversation back to that of music.

"Are there any other songs you know from Demyx?"

"Several really."

Roxas spent the next hour or so recollecting and singing songs of old for Talia and Ethan both of whom were eager to learn new content for their own works.

True to his word, the majority of these songs did come from Demyx, who said he either worked on or picked them up from different Worlds he went for various Organization missions. Others, however, were pulled from Sora's memories…

Such as...

"Hakuna Matata." Roxas said. "What a wonderful phrase~"

"Hakuna… Matata?" Talia repeated slowly. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, to put it simply it means no worries." Roxas said with a smile.

"No worries?"

Roxas cleared his throat once more, getting ready to sing something he actually enjoyed from Sora's memories back at Simba's World of Pride Rock.

"Hakuna matata! Ain't no passing craze!" Sang the Nobody as he spun around on a tree stump. "It means no worries, for the rest of your days~ "It's our problem-free philosophy~ Hakuna matata!"

At the end, the twins looked at each other and found the little song a little catchy.. As a matter of fact, they weren't sure whether or not they both heard a low key jingle to accompany Roxas's singing. Was it just their hearing?

Seeing their reaction, Roxas asked, "Not great?"

"No… It's fine, Roxas."

"It's just… odd."

The Keyblader shrugged. "It is, but it seems fine with me and that's all that matters."

"How does it go again?" Ethan asked. He honestly wanted to know if there really was some kind of jingle playing in the background.

Before Roxas could repeat the song, a voice cut him off.

"Ah~ There you lot are." Turning around, the three saw a new arrival in the Ironwood grove. "I've been looking for you."

"Uncle Malcolm!" Spoke out the twins, rushing towards their favorite uncle in the world.

Malcolm chuckled as he hugged his twin niece and nephew. "Ah good to see you live and well since I left." Pulling away, he adopted a look which was mixed between relief and worry. "When I heard of the attack from earlier today, my heart nearly stopped working entirely. Are both alright?"

"You've got to thank Roxas, uncle." Talia said with a smile. "If it weren't for him, we'd be all gonners."

"He's the one who saved all of Ironrath." Ethan added on.

"So I have heard."

Seeing as Roxas got his undivided attention now, did the Nobody take note of the aged man's appearance. With his fading brown hair with a matching thin beard and an attire that spoke of high standings in the North.

"I believe I know your name, Roxas, but I'm afraid you don't know mine." Coming up to him, Malcolm introduced himself. "The name's Malcolm Branfield, Lady Elissa's brother and uncle of her children."

"Nice to meet you, Malcolm."

"I believe it should be I who should be saying that." Malcolm stepped forward and shook the Nobody's hand. "You saved the lives of my family, lad. I'm pretty sure you know what that entails if everyone here hasn't already told you."

"The North Remembers, right?"

Malcolm merely smiled and nodded before looking to his niece and nephew. "Come along, children. Your mother wants you both ready for the feast in honor of young Roxas here."

The twins nodded as they went on ahead with both their uncle and savior, respectively, followed not far behind.

Seeing them off, Malcolm spoke up. "When I heard the tales of your actions, I thought they were mere murmurs tales to clear up confusion. But hearing the confirmations from the more honest people here, made me question my skepticism."

"It's alright, Malcolm. I wouldn't blame you for not believing… I think."

"Unlike Ganfreed from what Gregor told me."

"...Yeah, that guy."

"But to settle some doubt-"

"Yeah, I get ya."

Roxas held out his hand and in a quick flash, Oathkeep was in his hand.

"Truly marvelous." Malcolm said with contained awe. "Magic existing after hundreds of years."

Dismissing his Keyblade, Roxas silently questioned the apparent absence of magic that Malcolm seemed to insinuate.

"The last known practitioners of magic died in the Doom of Valyria almost four centuries ago and it was finally snuffed out with the last dragon dying a few centuries later." Malcolm elaborated, sensing the confusion from Roxas. "Though it is debated whether or not it has died out here in the North. The magic of this kingdom dates back for nearly 10,000 years. Wargs, greenseers and the like used to populate this whole kingdom with the Children and giants of old."

Roxas let out a low whistle when hearing the number.

"Now it slumbers, or what people are supposedly led to believe." Malcolm stated, eyeing Roxas intently and whispering under his breath. "Though… with your arrival here and your abilities. It could be a possible reawakening for the future."

The Nobody didn't say anything else after hearing this.

By the time they got back to the main part of the Keep, many common folk and workers gave curt nods and bows towards Roxas; a gesture he'll eventually grow tired of at this rate.

"Now… I believe you should get ready as well, young man."

"Huh?"

"For the feast."

"...Okay?"

"So I'll help send you to our guest quarters so you may freshen up." Malcolm then eyed the boy's interesting attire. "Do you, perhaps, have another set of clothes?"

"Uh, no, this is it." Roxas said.

"That's all?" Seeing the savior of Ironrath nod, Malcolm hummed as he carefully inspected the young man. "I'll get you a change of clothes. And sorry in advance if everything isn't to your exact measurements."

"You don't really need to." Roxas said.

"Come now Roxas." Malcolm waved off. "You getting a new set of clothes is the least we could do for the man who saved the Forrester home of Ironrath."

"Does that include throwing a party?" Roxas couldn't help but dryly state.

Malcolm only chortled. "We rarely do such things here in the North as we save up what coin, food and supplies for the upcoming winters. But I'll tell you now that when we throw a party, it's quite enjoyable with what we do."

"Alright, I'll take your word for it."

"Though I do warn you in advance, a lot of people here will get quite drunk as a result. So expect there to be some messes and a possible fight to break out."

"Drunk." Roxas repeated. It was surprising really as he had heard from Axel and other members of the Organization about the phenomena but in all his short existence and time within Sora, he had actually never seen anything like it.

"You've never been drunk before, lad."

"Not really."

"Good. Best to keep it that way." Malcolm escorted the Nobody the guest house. Along the way, he saw the looks many women eyed the boy, releasing a chuckle in the process. "And one more thing to warn you."

"Which is…"

"Be weary of the single women tonight."

Before Roxas could question what Malcolm meant by this, he was already handed over to one of the House servants to be taken care of for tonight's events.

"This way, Ser Roxas." A lady said politely. "We'll be assisting in taking your clothes and preparing you for the feast tonight."

"Huh?"

-Evening-

Never again.

Roxas swore that he will never allow anyone to bathe him, clothe him, groom or whatever it was that he was forced to endure.

It was an invasion of his privacy, damnit!

Okay, granted, he was partially thankful by some of the servants helping him out in knowing how to wear part of this World's attire. It was similar, yet quite different from the clothes he normally wore from his Organization attire to the one he had back in the fake Twilight Town.

But that was it.

Honestly, that was beyond embarrassing.

Looking at the mirror in his guest room, for the upteenth time, did the Key of Truth inspect himself.

The Nobody currently wore an opened black jacket over a cream colored shirt, which was tucked into a pair of black pants with mid thigh boots.

"For some reason, this makes me look almost like Leon." Roxas muttered. "All that's missing are the belts, the right boots and the embroidered symbols. Oh and the furred collar."

His Organization attire, consisting of his coat, pants, gloves, shirt and boots were all spread out upon the bed of his room that was given to him by Lord Forrester.

The servants of the castle had apparently found absolutely no stains or damages to the garments and even the boots were clean with no traces of mud or dirt upon them.

To them, it was like a gift from the Old gods. They only wished they knew what type of material it was. It "felt" familiar so to speak but they had no idea whether it was silk, wool, cotton or fur. The coat was just a uniquely styled coat to them.

"OI LAD!"

Opening the door, he saw Royland, Ironrath's master-at-arms on the other side.

"Are you ready?" Royland said a bit impatiently. "Lord Gregor and Lady Elissa, along with all of Ironrath, are awaiting your arrival in the great hall. What's taking you so long?"

"Sorry, Royland." Roxas gave a sheepish shrug. "Never was into this sort of thing."

"Most people aren't, but they need to suck it up and deal with it." Royland stated. "Then again, they are serving that special bacon strips that is cooked over the ironwood."

"They'd do that with their Ironwood? I thought they'd burn it for their funerals?" Roxas said, recalling Talia mentioning the use of it during their tour.

"Aye, they do. But as the years went by, one of their ancestors tried using some of their Ironwood to help cook some meat one winter and the taste is quite unique. Since then, they only use it for certain occasions; outside of funerals."

Following Royland to the grand hall, Roxas heard the clamoring sounds of chairs, tables, utensils and people emanating from the grand hall.

"Go on then, hero." Royland said, shooting the young boy a joking grin.

Entering the great hall, Roxas saw it was almost packed to the brim with life. Along the stone walls hung the Forrester banners and there even a few which surprised him as they bore his dual Keyblades set in an X-formation on a cream colored background.

'Man… those seamstresses must've gotten a good memory in making those spot on.' Thought the Keyblader. 'Scary even and in so little time.'

He was distracted from his thoughts did he not notice the Forrester heir being the first to spot him.

"Ah." Rodrick Forrester, dressed in his House's colors, rose from his chair with cup in hand. "The conquering hero has at long last graced us with his presence."

Roxas was met with a resounding cheer, with all present raising their cups in his honor.

Frankly, Number XIII was overwhelmed by the greeting as many began patting him with rough but friendly hands which in turn made him move forward towards the main table where the ruling House all sat together.

And once again, along the way, he kept seeing women around his physical age and even older by some years giving him the same look as before. Even a good majority of them wore blushes and hushly whispered amongst each other with the occasional giggles.

Quite frankly, Roxas was getting more and more confused with why they were doing that.

"Roxas." Gregor's strong voice cut through the chatter and his own thoughts as the Lord of Ironrath stood with his cup raised. "We dedicate this small feast in honor of your great and noble deeds done today that will go down in our families history where a stranger came to our aid when we needed it most. You will always find a place here at Ironrath should you ever request it."

Roxas bashfully smiled and scratched his cheek. "Uh, well~ thank you… my Lord."

Now Roxas wouldn't say 'my Lord' or 'my Lady' as he was fine speaking informally. But given the situation, he picked up the saying out of respect as they were doing this feast for him and it would seem rude in not being appropriate.

Much like how Sora respectfully calls Keyblade Master Mickey 'Your Majesty', who doesn't mind it all that much.

"Come." Gregor gestured to the open seat in between his twin children and Rodrick. Talia coincidentally sat next to the open chair and was doing everything in her power to fight the heat rushing to her cheeks at the thought of Roxas sitting right next to her.

Seeing as there was no other available spot, he took up the seat beside Talia.

With him taking his seat, the rest of the feast resumed with people chatting amongst each other. Either from things of their everyday lives to the main person of interest this evening.

He heard a few interesting words spoken of him.

"It's true, he has these strange weapons that look like Keys."

"Key-shaped weapons? How is that even threatening?"

"You say that now, but you didn't see how he tore through those beasts; Rever."

"I do say, he is a young one, isn't he?"

"Aye, but no less skilled. I saw him move like the wind."

"He does look handsome."

"Mmmm, indeed he does~ I do wonder if he has a lady waiting for him."

"I may not be Dornish, but… for him, I'm willing to make an exception."

From his spot on the table, Rodrick spotted many women eyeing Roxas like a piece of meat as they would want to lift their skirts and flung themselves naked at Ironrath's hero. And he saw a good number of them blush… with his younger sister surprisingly being amongst the numbers.

Rodrick couldn't blame them, if he were honest. The lad was cute, handsome even in their eyes; strong too. And in some years from now, that handsomeness and strength will grow that'll make any women want to bear his children; trueborn or bastard and they wouldn't care in the slightest.

But seeing his dear sister in such a way, Rodrick would have to protect her virtue if Roxas had any funny ideas.

However, Roxas appeared to either ignore or be completely indifferent to the glances he had been receiving from many of the ladies in the hall. It seemed he held no interest in such things. Or maybe he had never experienced such things for that matter.

Looking towards his father and mother, Rodrick saw they probably shared the same thoughts which crossed his mind.

'At least we're in the same boat in opinions.' Came the heir's thought. 'Thank the gods Mira ain't here or else things will get worse.'

A servant came by the table and placed down a plate of food and poured Roxas a cup of Arbor Gold. Roxas did salivate a little on the food, he eyed the cup as he wondered where the water was at.

"What's this?" Roxas asked, holding up to sniff the contents of the cup.

"Arbor Gold." Lady Elissa explained, sipping from her own cup. "It is some of the best wine in all of Westeros.

"Have you never had wine before, Roxas?" Rodrick inquired.

"I never drank wine before." Roxas admitted. "Or any alcohol really. Only water… and potions… and elixirs."

"We'll you'll be having quite the experience tonight, boy." Gregor chuckled. "Best to take it slow, I suppose."

Staring at the wine, Roxas rotated it around before shrugging and drinking a solid gulp of the Arbor Gold. It tasted different, somewhat fruity. But overall, he didn't really feel anything.

"Hmmm, tasty." Roxas remarked, taking another sip enjoying the flavor.

Seeing him liking the drink, the table's occupants went on with their discussions.

Throughout most of the feast, Roxas was questioned by the Forresters on different topics. From more information about the Heartless to some of his past adventures. And granted, like before, Roxas couldn't reveal much due to the World Order and give things away.

So he had to be sure to only mention how he mostly disposed of the Heartless in far away lands outside of Westeros, making the Forresters believe that he had traversed the world over perhaps while combating these creatures.

"It was huge." Roxas recounted a battle against the Sand Lion from Agrabah. "It kept moving through the sand and had these huge pincers. The body had gears that helped it move and shift the sand to help it fight against me."

Ryon, Talia and Ethan were rather engrossed in the story as the adults looked on in amusement. It was a little hard to tell if some of the details were real or fantasy as most people often stretch the truth to excite the listeners.

"I basically had to glide around half the time so that it wouldn't swallow me whole."

"Glide?" Rodrick asked in bewilderment. "What do you mean by glide? Like in the air?"

"Yeah, had been given the skill by a fairy."

He was met with total silence until little Ryon bounced in his seat excitedly. "You met a fairy?"

"Her name is Tinkerbelle." He held out his hands and spread them apart to emphasize how big she was. "She was yay big, wore green leaves for clothing, her blonde hair tied in a top bun, and was oddly silent except for giving off this bell-like sound in order to speak."

"Was she one of the Children?" Ethan asked with intrigue.

"Children?"

"The Children of the Forest." Talia said. "Those who originally worshiped the weirwood trees of the Old Gods."

"Right, Arthur talked about them on the way here." Roxas vaguely recalled.

"So you can fly then?" Gregor asked, returning to the aforementioned skill.

"Not fly, glide." Though it wouldn't be the case if he was in Neverland.

"Same difference."

"Not really."

"Can we see?" Ryon asked excitedly.

"Please." Ethan and Talia asked together.

"Not here." Roxas quickly said. "Would rather do that outside than inside."

This got the three youngest members of House Forrester to groan and pout respectively.

"Could we please see this father?' Ethan asked, turning to Lord Gregor.

"Please father?" Talia tacked on with her brother sharing her pleading face.

"Later." Came their father's response as he drank from his mug. "This is a feast in Roxas's honor, not a murmur's show. And it's Roxas' choice if he wants to do it or not anyways."

The kids only slumped dejectedly only for their spirits to be lifted when Roxas promised he'll show them later.

As the feast went on, Roxas found himself soon sitting in the center of the hall surrounded by a great number of people who were all curious to hear more on himself and his past exploits in dealing with the Heartless. Despite focusing much of his attention at the Forrester family, the former Organization member was starting to feel uncomfortable.

Eventually he managed to escape the large crowd only to find himself into another one that he had stumbled into.

This one however was more manageable with it comprising of Gregor, Rodrick and several of the guards that had fought the Heartless.

"Those Keyblades' of yours are a sight to behold, Roxas." Royland praised. "As is your speed and skill."

"Had it not been for you, only the gods would've known what may have occurred today." Rodrick said grimly. "I dread to think about going into such territory."

Roxas was really starting to wonder just how much praise could be stacked upon him. However, one stray thought did cross his mind. Something that had been bothering him in the back of his mind for the duration of the day.

"There is something I don't get actually." Roxas began. "I know I can handle the Heartless with my magic and Keyblades, but how was it that you were able to take down a few, Gregor, while others couldn't."

Others in attendance nodded in agreement as it did bring up a valid point.

"That is true." Royland rubbed his chin in thought. "Out of all of us here, aside from Roxas my lord, only you succeeded in taking down one of them."

"No matter how many times I swung, those bastards couldn't go down an inch." Dunan commented. "It's as if I was a mere fly to them. All of us were."

"It didn't feel like an accomplishment, truthfully." Gregor admitted. "I winded myself simply taking down that one beast. Comparatively speaking to Roxas."

"Better than the rest of us, sadly."

"Still, you did take one out." Roxas said appraisingly. "And during my travels, there aren't that many who have the powers or skills to do that."

He thought back of not just those of Organization XIII, but also a handful of Sora's party companions throughout the various Worlds; even those of the Radiant Gardens Restoration Committee. And even with them, they could only do so much against the Heartless.

Humming to himself, Gregor spoke his thoughts. "Might be because my family's greatsword is of Valyrian steel."

"Valyrian Steel?" Roxas said in confusion.

"You've never heard of it?" Duncan remarked in surprise. "It's one of the rarest metals in the world, one that is extraordinarily difficult to come by and even exceptionally more so to handle as the art of crafting such a fine work has been lost."

Roxas stared blankly at Duncan, making Gregor shake his head in amusement.

"Let's not overwhelm the young lad, Duncan." Gregor said, patting the guards shoulder. "He's already has enough as it is, tonight."

"Heh~ true enough."

"Still." Roxas looked to the sword in question strapped to Gregor's side. "There must be something special about that sword of yours."

"Aside from it being made of Valyrian steel, the pommel has been made with Ironwood and it's blade is coated with it's resin." Gregor stated, patting the sword proudly.

Roxas hummed, staring at the sword analytically. "That could be useful against the Heartless if they appear again. Maybe that resin of yours could be applied to your weapons and boost them up to help fight them better."

The Forrester men all looked to their liege lord who held an intense contemplative look upon his face, clearly showing serious consideration for Roxas's suggestion.

"Perhaps that is the proper and safer course of action." Gregor declared. "For the sake of Ironrath and its people."

"Best solution as any, even if it's a temporary means."

Soon after, Roxas once more was dragged back into the center of the feast with drunk adulation being showered upon him and a few rather invasive touches upon certain regions of his body that caught him off guard several times. Sure it was only the abdomen and his backside… but still.

Wanting to clear his head, the Key of Truth exited the great hall and went elsewhere.

He did run into a handful of wayward soldiers and common folk in attendance who gave their brief thanks for saving them.

Roxas did not want to deal with this any longer, he sped up his pace and didn't pay any mind where he was heading off to. Seeing a nearby doorway opened, he entered it without any further thought.

Releasing a sigh, he then looked around and saw that he was at the meeting room where he first met Gregor and Elissa Forrester.

Speaking of…

"Oh, sorry." Roxas apologized. "Didn't know you were here."

"It's quite alright, Roxas." Lady Forrester forgave as she went back into looking at the family tapestry above the fireplace. "I can tell you were overwhelmed with the feast."

"Heh~ No use hiding it." Walking further in, he continued. "Mind if I hang out in here for a bit?"

Elissa processed the saying before getting the idea as to what the young lad meant; to which she nodded.

"Tell me, I have heard from my younger children strange phrases and sayings that you have." Elissa said, recalling Talia and Ethan's bright conversation about this young man in front of her. "What does this no biggy, was it? What does that mean exactly?"

Roxas blinked at the strange question and rather strange way to start up a conversation but found himself shrugging for what felt like the hundredth time this day alone.

"Eh~ It's another way of saying 'no problem', my lady."

"I see." Elissa nodded. "No biggy. What a quaint little word."

Roxas shrugged.

Things were quiet between them as they looked on.

In this time, Roxas took more notice of the tapestry above the fireplace. He saw each person and saw he had met the majority of the family thus far.

All except for two.

"Say, Lady Elissa. I see six children on that tapestry there, but I've only met four." Roxas spoke. "Where are the other two?"

Elissa released a tired sigh suddenly, slumping a bit as he heard her breath was rather shaky.

Looking at her curiously, Roxas was surprised to see silent tears streaking across her face.

"Today… I was suddenly faced once more with the hard reality of losing my children." Elissa said tearfully. "Worse yet to death and not the unpredictable wave that is life."

Abruptly walking over to Roxas, she gave him a tearful smile as reached out and grasped his hand with both of her own.

"As a mother, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for protecting and saving my children." Elissa said with pure sincerity. "Thank you, Roxas. Thank you for this."

Despite hearing and being tired of all the thanks from the Ironrath populous, Roxas could let this one slide as hers was more… sincere as she was relieved from her utmost dread.

Looking back up to the tapestry, Elissa frowned with her eyes glazing over the two that were not present at this time.

"It has been a long time since a feast like this had occurred here in Ironrath." Elissa said. "I only wish my son Asher and daughter Mira were here to be with us."

Roxas nodded, filing away and processing the names of the two Forresters he hasn't met yet.

"And where are they?"

"They're no longer here…"

"As in… gone or-"

"They're not dead, if that's what you're implying." She said in a stressed tone.

Roxas quickly waved his hands in a hurried motion. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

Elissa held up her hand to gently silence him. "It's alright, Roxas, you didn't know and I don't fault your mind in possibly thinking as such."

A hesitant nod was given by the Nobody. "Then where are Mira and Asher?"

A small smile formed on her lips. "My eldest daughter has been given a good opportunity that I've worked hard in making."

"Which is?"

"As you should probably know, I was born in the Reach and I married my husband some years prior to Robert's Rebellion." Elissa began, unknowingly forming additional questions in Roxas' mind. "There have been many times I wanted to return there to see what friends and loved ones I left behind there. But I could not under certain circumstances."

Roxas wanted to question on this, but chose not to at the given time.

"So once Mira was coming of age, I had contacted what few friends I have left in the Reach in hopes they could take her in so she may learn the ways of a southern court. I would've been fine if this wouldn't be so. But as luck would have it, Alerie Tyrell -formerly from the Hightowers- responded back with open arms. She accepted in taking Mira in, all on the condition that she served as the handmaiden to Margarey, her only daughter."

Remembering the fact the Tyrells ruled over the entirety of the Reach, Roxas realized Mira's current position was quite important.

"Well congratulations, I suppose."

"Thank you."

"And how long ago did she head over there?"

"A few years ago and so far, Mira has been enjoying her stay. Even becoming good friends with Margarey and her fellow handmaiden, Sera, from what she told me through her letters."

Roxas nodded. "What of your other son, Asher?" What pleasant emotions there were on Elissa's face slowly faded away and replaced with sorrow. "Is something wrong?"

"Asher…" She sighed, "He… there was an incident. It was brought to light shortly after Mira's departure. We were so happy that we didn't know things would ruin such an occasion."

"What happened?"

"My son had fallen in love."

This utterly confused the Nobody greatly. "How did falling in love cause such problems?"

He didn't understand the concepts of love all that well, hardly anything at all, but he did know it was supposed to be good…

Right?

"He had a secret love affair with Gwyn Whitehill, the only daughter to Ludd Whitehill." She revealed in an appalled tone. "Which lasted for over a year, from what was revealed."

Roxas pondered a bit as to what was so bad about her son being with this Gwyn character. But he did remember Arthur telling the Nobody about the bitter, generations old rivalry between the Whitehills and the Forresters.

"...How did everyone find out?"

"One of Ludd's younger sons stumbled upon them as they were… intimate with each other. The poor, innocent lad thought Asher was hurting his only sister in her bed chamber. So he rushed towards his father and told him what he saw. Shortly after, my son fled back here instead of being taken captive to face the consequences."

Roxas didn't know what Elissa meant on being intimate, but once again chose to bury that question and resurface it at a later time.

"Ludd demanded retribution for what Asher had done, dishonoring her in such a way. The option of my son going to the Wall was offered, but it was quickly demolished just as it was announced. Ludd demanded war for Asher's actions and my husband didn't want that to happen at all, for all our sakes. Then the notion of exile came around…"

Roxas processed this, knowing prior that Asher wasn't dead and there was no recent war mentioned around. He quickly assumed the result.

"Your husband exiled your own son?" He shockingly asked.

To his surprise, she shook her head 'no'. "Asher exiled himself, Roxas. He knew how much family meant for him and he took it upon himself to spare us from going to war with the Whitehills."

"Then… where is he now?"

"Essos. As to where over there… I wish I knew." Elissa muttered with a downcasted look. "Last we heard from him was of his letter, telling us he safely made it over there. Now we can only pray to the gods that he'll be safe over there."

The Forrester matriarch fiddled with her hands a little. "I just hope things will be alright for my two children. I fear something might happen to them as they're away."

"Don't stop hoping, Elissa." Roxas said, breaking her downtrodden mood a little. "Things will turn out alright. From what I can see and feel, your family is strong. You just gotta keep on believing, for their sakes."

Elissa smiled at the young Keyblader, greatly appreciating his words of encouragement.

"You're right, I'll have to be… for their sake."

Elissa suddenly surprised the Nobody with a gentle hug, patting his head.

"Thank you, Roxas." Elissa said kindly. "You have done so much for my family in such a short amount of time. House Forrester is eternally in your debt. Any boon you ask of us we will deliver."

Stepping away, Elissa smiled at the flustered look Roxas held though he had a grin showing how that he had rather enjoyed the hug.

"I think you've all done enough really." Roxas said with a beaming smile.

"Roxas, when it comes to saving a lord and lady's kin here in the North it shall never be enough to put it plainly." Elissa said light heartedly. "A sentiment I heard is shared only in Dorne and other Houses below the Neck."

It was then that Roxas had released a long and loud yawn, a wave of drowsiness hitting him suddenly.

"Ah, I see I have bored you now." Elissa teased making Roxas blush with Lady Forrester laughing lightly.

"Er… It's just been a long day."

"It was clear to tell, Roxas." Elissa said kindly. "Come, I shall escort you to your room. The least I could do for you right now. And I can tell you'd get lost along the way. Don't want you to be taken advantage of by any lady still at the feast."

Rather than denying the gesture, Roxas knew it'd be better to go with her as she was being very hospitable and she was sort of right on him getting lost. Took him a while back in old Organization castle until he finally figured out how to navigate the damn thing.

-Morning-

The cold, crisp air greeted Number XIII with him walking through the Keep. He saw very little servants walking about, performing their morning tasks. Roxas briefly greeted several he passed by before a small rumble of his stomach was felt.

Feeling hungry for breakfast, he made his way inside of the main building and headed straight towards the great hall.

Upon entering the room, he saw several tables set up. A few had several Forrester guards sitting, eating and making idle conversation. Another table bore the small Tuttle family, doing the same thing and neither haven't noticed him yet. And beside their table was occupied by the Forresters.

Walking up close, Talia was the first to notice the Nobody.

"Good morning, Roxas."

"Morning, Talia."

With his presence known, others at their respective tables turned their attention towards him and quickly greeted him.

Sitting at the edge of the one table, he ended up situated between the Forrester and the Tuttle families. Looking a bit more towards the elders of the reigning family of the land, Roxas noticed Rodrick wasn't looking all that great.

"You alright, Rodrick?"

The Forrester heir groaned, massaging his head. "Had a little too much to drink last night."

"I told you not to do so, Rodrick." His Lady mother scolded, lightly sipping on her drink to wash down some food.

"Sorry, mother."

"At least you didn't do anything foolish."

Roxas shook his head as he soon noticed a servant placing a plate of food before him. It contained two small fish, a small piece of bread, a thick strip of bacon and what appeared to be hashbrowns… or what he thought it was.

'Man they really like their meat.' Thought the Nobody before thanking the servant.

"How was your sleep, Roxas?" Gregor questioned.

"It was pretty good." Responded the Keyblader as he started digging into his breakfast. "Haven't slept on a good bed like that for a while now."

This was true. The only beds he ever slept in were the rooms he lived in-in both the World That Never Was and the Fake Twilight Town. The first one was alright, even if it was stiff at times. And he didn't know how to truly make out the one at the digitized World of Ansem the Wise's creation.

So after drifting on and off inside of Sora's Heart for what seemed like forever, the bed he slept last night was a pleasant feeling to sleep and wake up in.

The Forrester Lord nodded as he continued eating his meal.

Roxas continued on with his meal before wanting the need to wash down his food. Picking up a nearby mug, he stood up to grab a pitcher. Pouring the contents into his mug, Roxas expected water… only to get Ale this time.

'Is wine and ale all they have to drink?' He pondered, eyeing the mug's contents. Releasing a sigh once sitting down, he briefly drank the liquid before continuing on with his morning meal.

"If you don't mind me asking this, Roxas," Duncan spoke from his table, "But what do you plan for the day?"

"Eh… probably go out on patrol for Heartless." Roxas began, cutting into the bacon. "Aside from that, mostly go to the library for research."

"Why's that?" Ethan inquired, voicing the other's shared thought.

"Just to get a good layout of the land so I could know where to go to next."

When Roxas meant land, he pretty much meant the World at large.

Hearing this, some of the younger people in the room seemed saddened on their realization; moreso with Talia.

"You're not staying here longer?" Spoke the Forrester girl.

"Sorry, Talia, but there are more Heartless out there and I need to search high and low for them." Eating some pieces of hash brown, he swallowed and continued. "They aren't known in staying in one particular area as they're spread all over."

The grim reminder of this fact left a tense feeling in the air.

Wanting to lighten it up, Gared spoke his thought. "And are you just going to be in the library all day?"

"Not really. Don't want to be stuck in there all day, for hours on end."

"Then what do you plan on doing anything else?" Inquired the squire.

"Probably walk more through the Ironwood grove and maybe go to the training yard to train."

"Really?" Rodrick voiced. "Mayhaps you would like a spar later. I'd like to see how you fight as I missed out yesterday."

Roxas smirked a little. Some of Sora's memories briefly flooded in his head of his time sparing with Riku back on Destiny Islands. Both boys enjoyed doing such things to not only pass the time, but to also hone their sword skills which they learned all on their own.

"Only if you're up for it, Rodrick."

The heir smiled. "I most definitely will."

Roxas leaned back and turned towards the squire in the room. "You could join in if you want, Gared."

This took the Tuttle boy back, almost choking on his food in the process.

"I-I don't know about that." Gared stammered once clearing his throat. "I'm not all that good."

"That's the point in sparring, nephew; to get better." Lectured the squire's uncle. "And what better way to do so than with Roxas and Lord Rodrick."

Gared weighed on his option and didn't know what to do.

"Besides, didn't you say you want to prove yourself in your training?"

And this ended up pushing him into accepting.

Just as he discussed with Roxas and Rodrick on when the appropriate time for them to train, Maester Ortengym walked into the great hall and made a b-line straight towards Gregor.

The Forrester lord noticed the maester's presence and noticed him clasping onto a rolled up parchment.

"Ortengym."

"My lord." Greeted the maester, handing over the raven letter. "A message from the Starks."

This momentarily quieted any other conversation to a certain degree. They eyed Gregor nodding and breaking the wax seal with the Stark sigil on it. Unfurling it, the resident lord read its contents for some moments.

"Is something wrong, dear?" Elissa inquired her husband.

Shaking his head 'no', he closed the parchment before addressing the nearby eaters. "It was a summons, by Lord Stark."

"For who?"

"For Roxas here."

Pausing his eating, Roxas looked over with a questioning look. "I'm sorry, what?"

-End Chapter-

AN:

Once again, gotta thank free man writer for helping me out on writing this chapter. I greatly appreciate him very much.

Now we're on our way to Winterfell and getting closer and closer to the start of both book and show canon events. For those wondering the time placement on both respective series, here's the gist of it.

With Kingdom Hearts, this takes place directly after Dream Drop Distance if you guys haven't noticed from the very start of the story. That by the time the last chapter ended, the events of said game events would've been over already.

And before you all get into it of KH3 events coming around quickly for me to do anything about it, well that's where you're wrong as with the power of fanfics at my side, things will change… to some degree.

As for GoT/ASoIaF, this placement obviously takes place prior to canon. How long… well not all that long if I'm being honest. And you'll see how it goes in the coming chapters.

If you guys forgot on Roxas' character, he inherited many traits from Sora, yet he never took on and experienced things pertaining to love. He's quite naive and rather oblivious on such things. And it's pretty much realized he got this inherited from Ventus.

So things pertaining of love, sex, and crushes is just going to fly over his head… until later on in the story. I mean, come on, this is GoT/ASoIaF we're talking about here, he's bound to learn of all this sooner or later.

Now just so you guys should know, as a reminder, free man writer and I have worked together on this idea and we do plan to make our own versions of this story with how it works out. There will be similarities, yet there will be some differences. What they are, well at the moment neither of us know.

Free Man Writer: What's up guys, hope you're enjoying this new story. As Jebest has stated we are both working on our own variants of the story with similarities as both of us bounced these ideas off of one another though distinct enough with its differences. I would say that I'm working on the first chapter right now but there's only a few bullet points at best and a loose outline overall. Right now, J has been helping me run through Infinite Wars trying to get to the end of the Clone Wars season 1 and go through the gap period. So hopefully, my version will come out sooner than later but not for a while at the very least.

Anyways, be sure to review this story guys! Would like the criticisms. Please and thank you!

R&R