[Chapter Size: 2500 Words.]

  ---------------------------------------

  elia was in a bad mood for a long time. After the ba ended, she personally took Bran back to his room to sleep. Only then was she finally able to ease her tense nerves aurn to her own room.

  After washing up, however, she couldn’t calm herself enough to fall asleep for hours. In the end, she got up, took the small notebook she had carried with her for years, and began rereading the only note she had written in it over and ain.

  There were very few events from King’s Landing recorded iebook. The only crete memory was that the king had been wounded by a boar during a hunt and had subsequently died. After his death, elia’s father was sent to the dungeons, accused of treason. What had happened before that was a mystery she couldn’t unravel.

  In truth, the event that had affected her the most in the inal story was the death of her mother, Catelyn, and her brother Robb at the Red Wedding. Perhaps because it was such a striking tragedy, she had even listed several reasons that had led to that oute.

  However, the most important thing at the moment roteg her father and Bran, but her mind was pletely bnk.

  elia pondered over it for almost the entire night but couldn’t find any answers. She forced herself to give up trying to recall and refocused on her notebook. She khat tinuing to dwell on it would only make her even more anxious and desperate. Oher hand, she had no idea how to find help.

  With no other choice, she dedicated herself to reading and rereading the words and phrases she had already memorized from the notebook. It was only near dawn that she was finally able to calm her thoughts, push away the restlessness, and regain her posure.

  The m, although she hadn’t slept at all, elia was more emotionally stable. However, the first bad news came while she was having breakfast. Without uanding what had happened, she learhat her father had already decided to go south to King’s Landing to bee the Hand of the King. Moreover, he had also officially agreed to the marriage tract between Sansa and Joffrey.

  Sansa was extremely excited upon hearing the news, but elia’s heart sank. Even so, she had anticipated this the night before, so she quickly accepted the fact with apparent ess.

  What truly surprised elia was that this time, when her father decided to go south to King’s Landing, in addition to taking Sansa and Arya as in the inal story, he also po take Bran.

  Her father had asked Catelyn to stay in Winterfell to mahe castle and teach Robb, preparing him to i the position of Lord of Winterfell and rule the North iure. As for Ri, he would stay home because he was still too young.

  As for elia, going south was pletely out of the question. Not only because her father, mother, and even Robb disagreed with the idea, but primarily because she couldn’t abandon the North—at least not now.

  She instinctively reached for the small egg hanging around her neck. Ever since she discovered, three years ago, that the source of her power came from the North, she knew her future was tied to that egg. During this time, it should have hatched aored her strength si had been abs energy from her body. However, that had yet to bee a reality.

  Although she knew her recovery would be much faster if she were at the Wall, ander Jeor Mormont never allowed her to stay there for long periods. Moreover, elia had a deep fear of the cold, something that had haunted her sihose three years ago. And, in any case, her father never allowed her to go to the Wall. Thus, the only pce she could stay was Winterfell. Fortunately, the castle’s proximity to the Wall meant that, after three years of waiting, she was finally beginning to see some hope.

  elia was anxious because she knew she couldn’t leave the North until the egg hatched. If it didn’t hatch, her strength would never be restored. As impatient as she was, there was nothing she could do but wait.

  However, the fact remaihat her father had already taken the position of Hand of the King and promised Sansa to Joffrey. Both he and Sansa would go to King’s Landing. elia, however, hoped to persuade him to leave Bran and Arya at home. She knew very well what would happe. One more person going to King’s Landing would mean an eveer risk.

  Besides, there was something she couldn’t uand: why did her father suddenly want to take Bran? Acc to her memories, only Sansa and Arya were supposed to go to King’s Landing.

  After thinking it over, elia remembered that perhaps her father had inally wao take Bran, but in the inal book, he had to leave him in the North because of the act that had happeo him.

  Even if no act had occurred, elia would never allow Bran to leave the North. His abilities o be fully awakened, and that was only possible beyond the Wall. Not to mention that King’s Landing was aremely dangerous pce.

  However, Ned had already made his decision. The North, being so far from the ter of power in King’s Landing, had always maintained an isoted position. However, the close retionship between Ned and King Robert ehat this e with the South was never pletely severed. Because of this, the North’s political importance had grown signifitly.

  The real problem, however, was the growing ambition of House Lannister. Yesterday afternoon, Robb had offehe heir to the throne, Prince Joffrey, by defeating him in a feng match. To ehe long-term development and stability of House Stark, it was iable that the family would bee involved in the political circles of the royal court and southern nobility.

  Ned believed that Sansa would py this role well, especially now that she was betrothed to Joffrey. As for Arya and Bran traveling south, he also saw it as part of a rger pn. To he North could not remain indepe and isoted forever. It was necessary to establish deeper political ties with the ter of power in King’s Landing. He saw this as the iable path to House Stark’s survival and prosperity.

  Moreover, the versation the king had with Ned in the underground crypt the day before was not limited to the marriage tract between Sansa and Joffrey. Robert also ily mentiohe possibility of a future allianvolving Priommen and Arya. Tommen was almost the same age as Arya, but both were too young for anything to be officially arranged. Naturally, Ned blocked the idea for now.

  Although this proposal might seem advantageous for House Stark, Ned knew he had to sider Arya’s happiness. Sansa, in turn, had fallen in love with Joffrey at first sight, which made her acceptance of the situation easier. But Arya was still too young, and it was too soon to think about marriage for her.

  elia tried to persuade o give up taking Bran south, but he remained firm. Before she could insist further, the king annouhat he po take all his ministers, along with Ned and Robb, on a hunting trip outside Winterfell. With no other choice, elia decided to postpohe versation and p up the matter again that night when they returned.

  But the events that followed shattered all her pns aroyed the self-fidence she had spent years building. Everything happened so fast that elia was pletely caught off guard.

  Despite all the precautions she had taken, Bran fell.

  elia had always heard that one never knows what es first: tomorrow or the ued. However, in this case, she had foreseen the act. She k would happen in a matter of days. Even so, she couldn’t prevent fate.

  elia couldn’t share her feelings with a was as if she were walking on a narrow wooden bridge suspended over a bottomless cliff. She knew she had to keep moving forward, that the other side was ahead of her, but the sting on the far end of the chasm shattered what little calm and fidence she had, leaving only fear to take over her body and mind.

  The other shore seemed so close a so far away.

  That m, the king’s hunting party was about to leave right after breakfast. élia po take Bran back to his room to rest for a bit and then apany him to archery practice. However, before she could act, Bran grabbed her hand and insisted on going to see the king and his party preparing for the hunt.

  élia khat Bran loved riding horses and dreamed of joining a hunt, but being still very young and not skilled enough at archery, he couldn’t participate. He was visibly disappointed, but élia mao vince him to e along just to the city gates to watch.

  They arrived at the gate and stayed there for a while, watg as the group prepared. élia took the opportunity to have a brief chat with Robb and the others who were ready to depart. The king quickly took the lead, and the hunting party left through the city gates.

  élia then took Bran back, waiting until the hunting party was pletely out of Winterfell before they started heading back. However, after only a few steps, they ran into the sed priommen Baratheon.

  At that moment, élia had to let go of Bran’s hand to deal with the situation. Before she could react, Princess Myrcel and Priommen came running towards them, pying and distracted. Myrcel, with a radiant smile, was looking behind her while saying something to Tommen, not paying attention to what was ahead. The iable happened: she bumped into Bran, who didn’t have time to dodge.

  Even in the summer, snow falls in Winterfell. The mixture of melted snow and mud made the ground slippery. When Myrcel collided with Bran, she lost her band fell to the ground. Her dress became covered in mud, as did her face, which made her start g immediately.

  élia felt a pang in her chest. After all, this was Winterfell, and Myrcel was the princess of the realm. As the hostess, she couldn’t just ighe situation. That would be uable, especially fuest of such high stature. Quickly, she let go of Bran’s hand and told him to stay where he was. Then, she crouched down to help the princess.

  “A face so beautiful will bee ugly if you keep g like this!” élia said in a soft torying to calm her down.

  Gently, she took a handkerchief from her pocket and began to wipe the mud from Myrcel’s fad hands. As she wiped each little smudge, she tinued f the princess, who gradually began to calm down.

  élia became momentarily distracted while soling Princess Myrcel, not notig that Bran had quietly slipped away on his own. Bran thought that the king and his hunting party were not too far off, so he decided to go to the city wall to try ahem once more. He knew his sister wouldn’t allow such a mischief, so impulsively, he climbed the wall again and escaped. vinced he could return quickly, he took only his wolf with him.

  After some time, élia finally mao calm Myrcel and asked Tommen to take her back to the queen. Meanwhile, Meistre Lueared. He informed her that Catelyn needed élia’s help tanize some matters. As Ned and the others would be away from Winterfell for quite some time, there were several ceremonial and material preparations that o be made quickly.

  élia, however, found the rush unnecessary. After all, she still o speak with her father about Bran and Arya, and she wao spend more time with them before the family parted ways. But thinking of Bran, a sudden disfort took hold of her mind.

  “Bran! Where is Bran?” she asked, a chill running through her body. It was then that élia realized that the familiar warmth she felt when Bran was near had disappeared.

  “He must be around, pying somewhere.” Meistre Luwin tried to calm her. “This is Winterfell. He’s not in danger here, Lia. Don’t worry so much.”

  But élia felt differently. Something inside her told her that something was wrong, terribly wrong.

  “Take me to him, now! Immediately! Start at the city wall!” élia ordered, her voice urgent and filled with ay. Without further expnation, she grabbed Meistre Luwin’s hand and followed him towards the wall.

  Soon, the search reached its climax.

  Then they finally found Bran.

  But in the end, it was too te.

  When élia are Luroached the wall, they heard the sound of a frantic crowd. élia’s heart was filled with an overwhelmiion, as if a heavy hammer had fallen on her. Each step felt harder, and the dread grew with every passing moment. Meistre Luwin, perhaps sensing what was to e, became visibly tense, sweat running down his face.

  “Bran!” Meistre Luwin shouted in a tone of despair.

  Before élia could react, Luwi go of her hand and quickly rushed towards the crowd. She tried to follow him, but was shoved by someone in the chaos. She fell to the ground, in a clumsy and desperate movement, as her hands groped the mud as if she were blind, trying to get up.

  “Bran...” she murmured, her voice trembling and filled with anguish.

  Tears began to spill from the ers of her eyes. She tried to rise again, but found that her body was pletely aralyzed by shock. It felt as though a huge mountain, a mountain called “fate,” was crushing her, preventing her from standing, breathing, hting against what seemed iable.

  For years, élia had tried to resist fate. For years, she fought to keep it from crushing her.

  But she never mao defeat it.

  At that moment, a voice cut through the darkness.

  “Are you okay?” asked Tyrion Lannister, approag after hearing about the otion. He saw élia lying on the ground, alone, in the midst of the chaotic crowd. Worried, he extended his hand and grabbed her arm. The girl seemed pletely beside herself; something was clearly wrong.

  Upon hearing Tyrion’s voice, élia woke for a moment but kept her gaze fixed on the ground. Her vision seemed blurred and dark, but within that darkness, something invisible to her was revealed. Something no one else could see.

  “I’m fine...” she finally replied, in a hoarse, low voice, almost inaudible.

  Sadness and anger filled her face, so deep that they seemed almost tangible. Inside her, perhaps there were feelings that no o herself could uand: guilt, helplessness, and an overwhelming desire to undo what seemed impossible.

  ******

  Support me and be 20 chapters ahead of webnovel:

  patreon./DynBriak