[Chapter Size: 2400 Words.]

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  “Track”

  The wooden cage made a loud noise as it slowly asded. elia, for the time being, called it the “elevator.” Although it didn’t use electricity, she had to admit that such a tool could have been built in that era. It was truly impressive.

  The higher they went, the strohe wind became. The sound of the wind resembled the howling of ghosts and wolves, perfectly matg the dark and despairing atmosphere of the Wall. The icy gusts made their hair and dresses flutter, and snowfkes were carried by the wind.

  Acc to Ser Jeor Mormont, the weather that night was favorable. The snow falling from the sky was only scattered. The Wall stood at the edge of the nd of eternal winter, where id snow never releherefore, nights like this were rare.

  “Father, have you been to the Wall before?” elia asked, looking out at the ndscape. Now that they were alohere was o pretend she was blind.

  The “elevator” tio rise. The Wall was incredibly tall. Even though they had been moving for some time, they were still far from the ground. Perhaps it was the elevator itself that was slow.

  In fact, it was really slow!

  “I’ve been here a few times, always on business!” Ned said, somewhat distracted. He had met Ser Jeor Mormont on a few occasions and knew him well. He couldn’t help but wonder if he had noticed something tonight.

  Of course, he believed that even if he did notiything, he wouldn’t reveal it. But it was better if he didn’t discover anything suspicious.

  elia noticed the distant look on her father’s face. Seeing Ned’s grim expression, she couldn’t help but think of the discreet prote he had showonight, trying to prevent Ser Mormont from unc a or abnormality about her.

  She already knew what kind of person her father, ark, was even before ing to Westeros, but upon arriving, that image became deeper and more vivid.

  Her father was a just man aed intrigue—something known throughout all the Seven Kingdoms. However, after that night, five years ago, Ned began proteg her with eveer zeal.

  One could say that she often reflected on this. Ned fully trusted those who submitted to House Stark when it came to family matters, but he kept his secrets strictly from everyone who wasn’t part of it. Even Theon Greyjoy, held captive by the Starks, was unaware of her secret.

  Of course, he knew she could see at night. After all, they lived together in the castle and saw each other often. It was hard to hide something from him for so many years, but he didn’t know anything else about it.

  elia uood that her father did all of this simply out of love for her. Although she had fotten much of her life before, she remembered that her parents had died early and that she ted by retives while still very young. She could hardly recall aternal love felt like.

  But ark was a very devoted father. She didn’t know what she had done in her previous life to deserve what she had now. How could she allow everything she loved to disappear so easily?

  Ned was silent for a moment, lost in thought. elia also found herself recalling unfortable memories and images, which made her not want to talk, and the atmosphere sank into a long silence.

  Fortunately, after some time, the wooden cage made a final “g” sound and stopped. Ned regained his attention, stepped forward, opehe wooden door, and stepped out.

  “e o’s take a look at the legendary North. What do you think?” uro look at the northern part of the Wall. However, the night was very dark, and the wind and snow made it hard to see. There was little that could be seen. It was minimal, but he knew elia could see.

  As soon as elia stepped through the wooden door, she felt the wind suddenly intensify. She lifted her head and looked far into the distaruly impressed. Her night vision was exceptional, eveer than the sight of ordinary people during the day, allowio see with great crity.

  “It’s beautiful here!”

  She was on top of the Wall, looking north. Even at this hour of the night, she could clearly see the endless mountains covered in id snow, in various shapes that evoked admiration. It was a breathtaking sight, a miraculous piece of craftsmanship by nature that made people pletely fet about the hidden dahere.

  “Beautiful things tend to be dangerous.” Ned smiled faintly. It was likely that no one, except elia, would sider the North beautiful. Others would only think of the cold, death, savagery, and the legendary White Walkers, who had long since disappeared.

  “So, father, does that mean mother is dangerous?”

  elia turo look at her father with a mischievous smile. Her mother’s beauty was widely reized. Although it might not be as frequently discussed as that of the current Queen Cersei Lannister, her elegand grace, ied from the noble House Tully of the Rivernds, had already earned her fame across all Seven Kingdoms.

  “Lia, you said that, not me!” Ned ughed and gave elia a light pat on the head. His daughter’s pyful remarks were aimed at him, but then he nodded, smiling meaningfully: “But of course, I agree.”

  “If mother hears this, I wonder what she will think?” elia ughed and dodged her father’s big hand, replying with a hint of pride, “I’ll defiell her everything whe back!”

  Seeing Ned’s worried face, elia couldn’t help but ugh. Curiously, she took a few steps forward, holding onto one of the stone pilrs nearby. Looking down from that height was truly a unique experience, quite different from looking up.

  Beih and looking at the Wall gave a sense of awe, but being at the top and looking down caused a slight fear. The Wall was indeed imposing.

  “Be careful!” ook a few steps forward, alert. The Wall didn’t have any guardrails, and the ground was covered in id snow. Any slip could be fatal.

  “Don’t worry, father! I’m fine.”

  elia smiled to reassure him, then turned her eyes back to the night sky. Impulsively, she raised her hands and closed her eyes, allowing herself to feel the power of the wind and snow around her. Gently moving her fingers, she made a magical se unfold above the Wall.

  When she opened her eyes, she saw snowfkes swirling around her and her father, floating in the air in a graceful dance. A smile began to form on her lips as she guided the snow with the movements of her hands. The snowfkes twirled and danced in the night sky, moving lightly and gracefully, like a dancer in a celestial chraphy, before fallily to the ground.

  “Lia, you promised o use your abilities in publied was visibly nervous upon seeing the se, and looked around worriedly. He khat elia’s abilities had to remain a secret.

  He couldn’t even imagine what would happen if her special abilities were discovered in the Seven Kingdoms.

  “Father! We’re on the Wall. There’s no one else here but us!”

  elia apologized a little but eventually lowered her hands. The snowfkes in the sky lost their agility and fell slowly, following the pull of gravity, without the lighthey had shown before.

  In fact, elia felt that her power seemed much strohere, atop the imposing and isoted Wall, and that’s why she wao try something new.

  Since she was born, elia had been particurly resistant to the cold. Later, when she was five, she had a dream for the first time. It was nothing more than a vast ndscape covered by endless snow and a dark, icy valley. In the ter of the valley, there was a ke, encased in ice.

  In the dream, elia was drawn to the ke and, without uanding why, she dove to the bottom. It felt as if she had been there for only a brief moment.

  But iy, she had fallen asleep for two days and two nights. During that time, her room became covered in snow and ice, with thick yers of ice all over. She y in her bed, pletely surrounded by a bed of ice.

  This terrified Robb and Sansa, who visited her the following m. Fortunately, Robb noticed something unusual and told no one, instead going straight to their father and mother, without even involving Maester Luwin.

  Two days ter, elia woke up. From then on, she became even more different from ordinary people. However, at first, her ability to trol id snow was very weak. Over time, she dedicated herself to learning how to trol this power, making it strohis trip to the North, to the Wall, was also an attempt to perfect this gift.

  This was elia’s greatest secret, and also the reason Catelyn agreed to let her learn how to fight with swords. With such a special ability, she then herself to truly protect herself.

  In truth, elia dedicated herself solely to proteg her home, Winterfell, and her family. That was all.

  “Father, I promise that iure, I’ll protect myself and won’t expose my secret. But father, you also promise that...,” she hesitated for a moment before pleting, “you will also protect yourself and take care of yourself, okay?”

  As she thought about the Stark family’s fate, she fell silent for a few seds. Then, she looked at Ned’s fa the darkness and spoke those words softly and solemnly.

  “Of course, I won’t just protect myself, but also you!” Ned, a little fused, couldn’t decipher the expression on his daughter’s fa the dim light. He sensed a faint sadness in her, but didn’t uand the reason. Even so, he smiled, pced his hand on elia’s head, and patted it affeately.

  elia felt the warmth of her father’s palm on her head, and a smile appeared at the er of her mouth. In fact, even though she tried to deliberately remember the Stark family’s events, many things escaped her.

  But there was one se she would never fet: Ned bound and kneeling, surrounded by the crowd in King’s Landing, shouting “traitor” with fervor. And then the sight of heads rolling.

  Every time she thought about it, her heart filled with a dark chill. Still, she vaguely remembered some people’s ents about the Stark family in her previous life. Many believed House Stark was destroyed by a kind of "suicidal stubbornness" and hat led them to their downfall.

  However, elia disagreed with that view. She no longer remembered maails, but something remained clear: the Starks chose the wrong path because they were loyal to themselves, and that loyalty led them to death.

  But was that a mistake?

  Were they so hat they didn’t know what was best for them when making their choices? Did they really ighe difficulties and obstacles of the path they chose?

  No. ark, Lord of Winterfell, a man experienced in battles, and Robb Stark, raised since childhood as the heir, were not fools. Furthermore, weighing the pros and s is part of human nature.

  They failed, but not due to a ck of wisdom or caution. They failed because they had too much they could not give up.

  They could not renouhe justice they carried in their hearts, the desire for freedom, the loyalty to the monarch, the love for family, the prote of the i, and the respect for life.

  These were the things they could not and would not allow themselves to abandon.

  But was that a mistake?

  No, it was heir fault!

  The idea that good people lose their lives because they bear the weight of their virtues while evil endures by discarding values and lives without hesitation is, in fact, absurd and unjust. But this is how the world works.

  Still, we should not ridicule the "y" of those who remain faithful to their aspirations, the flexibility doers, t to circumsta any cost. For it is only through the persistend prote of these "naive" individuals that order and peace still exist in this world.

  They are great, and the path to greatness is paved with blood and thorns. Even if they fail, they should be remembered with resped flowers, not with pt and mockery.

  But elia knows that this world will never ge, and that the Stark family’s character will remain unged as well. They will never abandon what they believe in, so the Starks’ fate seems already written.

  elia believes that even if they had to gh all of this tless times, they would still make the same choice.

  This is their destiny!

  elia wants to ge that destiny. She knows she ot ge her family, but still wishes to ge the oute. Perhaps it is an illusion of grandeur; she uands how difficult this will be.

  This is the world of Game of Thrones. Here, everyone, by their own will or by coer, ends up trapped in the vortex of this game and ot escape.

  In her previous life, elia was just an ordinary girl, with no tact with power or wealth. She had no i in politior was she talented in strategy. But now, she has something to protect.

  No matter how difficult it is, she will never look back!

  “Father, no matter what happens in the past or the future, I will always be proud to be your daughter!”

  Regardless of how things unfold iure, even if she ot ge destiny, and even if the end is destru, she will always be proud to be a Stark.

  “Lia, you and your siblings are my greatest pride!” Ned put his arm around elia’s shoulders and gave her a tender pat. Despite some occasional mischief that broke his and Catelyn’s hearts, they had always been the pride of the family.

  elia looked at her father and smiled. She loved Winterfell. Her only hope was that her family could live there safely, as they had for the st ten years.

  She would give everything for that dream.

  If there was something the Starks could never abandon, the her make the sacrifice.

  ******

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