Chapter 4 - Above the Great Wall

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[Chapter Size: 2400 Words.]

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"Track"

The wooden cage made a loud noise as it slowly ascended. Cornelia, 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 stronger the wind became. The sound of the wind resembled the howling of ghosts and wolves, perfectly matching the dark and despairing atmosphere of the Wall. The icy gusts made their hair and dresses flutter, and snowflakes were carried by the wind.

According 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 land of eternal winter, where ice and snow never relented. Therefore, nights like this were rare.

"Father, have you been to the Wall before?" Cornelia asked, looking out at the landscape. Now that they were alone, there was no need to pretend she was blind.

The "elevator" continued to 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 notice anything, he wouldn't reveal it. But it was better if he didn't discover anything suspicious.

Cornelia noticed the distant look on her father's face. Seeing Ned's grim expression, she couldn't help but think of the discreet protection he had shown her tonight, trying to prevent Ser Mormont from uncovering any secret or abnormality about her.

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

Her father was a just man and detested intrigue—something known throughout all the Seven Kingdoms. However, after that night, five years ago, Ned began protecting her with even greater 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.

Cornelia understood that her father did all of this simply out of love for her. Although she had forgotten much of her life before, she remembered that her parents had died early and that she was adopted by relatives while still very young. She could hardly recall what paternal love felt like.

But Ned Stark 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. Cornelia also found herself recalling uncomfortable 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 "clang" sound and stopped. Ned regained his attention, stepped forward, opened the wooden door, and stepped out.

"Come on, let's take a look at the legendary North. What do you think?" Ned turned to 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 Cornelia could see.

As soon as Cornelia stepped through the wooden door, she felt the wind suddenly intensify. She lifted her head and looked far into the distance, truly impressed. Her night vision was exceptional, even better than the sight of ordinary people during the day, allowing her to see with great clarity.

"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 ice and snow, in various shapes that evoked admiration. It was a breathtaking sight, a miraculous piece of craftsmanship by nature that made people completely forget about the hidden dangers there.

"Beautiful things tend to be dangerous." Ned smiled faintly. It was likely that no one, except Cornelia, would consider 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?"

Cornelia turned to look at her father with a mischievous smile. Her mother's beauty was widely recognized. Although it might not be as frequently discussed as that of the current Queen Cersei Lannister, her elegance and grace, inherited from the noble House Tully of the Riverlands, had already earned her fame across all Seven Kingdoms.

"Lia, you said that, not me!" Ned laughed and gave Cornelia a light pat on the head. His daughter's playful 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?" Cornelia laughed and dodged her father's big hand, replying with a hint of pride, "I'll definitely tell her everything when we get back!"

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

Being beneath 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!" Ned took a few steps forward, alert. The Wall didn't have any guardrails, and the ground was covered in ice and snow. Any slip could be fatal.

"Don't worry, father! I'm fine."

Cornelia 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 scene unfold above the Wall.

When she opened her eyes, she saw snowflakes 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 snowflakes twirled and danced in the night sky, moving lightly and gracefully, like a dancer in a celestial choreography, before falling gently to the ground.

"Lia, you promised never to use your abilities in public!" Ned was visibly nervous upon seeing the scene, and looked around worriedly. He knew that Cornelia'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!"

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

In fact, Cornelia felt that her power seemed much stronger there, atop the imposing and isolated Wall, and that's why she wanted to try something new.

Since she was born, Cornelia had been particularly resistant to the cold. Later, when she was five, she had a dream for the first time. It was nothing more than a vast landscape covered by endless snow and a dark, icy valley. In the center of the valley, there was a lake, encased in ice.

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

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

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

Two days later, Cornelia woke up. From then on, she became even more different from ordinary people. However, at first, her ability to control ice and snow was very weak. Over time, she dedicated herself to learning how to control this power, making it stronger. This trip to the North, to the Wall, was also an attempt to perfect this gift.

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

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

"Father, I promise that in the future, I'll protect myself and won't expose my secret. But father, you also promise that...," she hesitated for a moment before completing, "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 seconds. Then, she looked at Ned's face in the darkness and spoke those words softly and solemnly.

"Of course, I won't just protect myself, but also you!" Ned, a little confused, couldn't decipher the expression on his daughter's face in the dim light. He sensed a faint sadness in her, but didn't understand the reason. Even so, he smiled, placed his hand on Cornelia's head, and patted it affectionately.

Cornelia felt the warmth of her father's palm on her head, and a smile appeared at the corner 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 scene she would never forget: 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 comments about the Stark family in her previous life. Many believed House Stark was destroyed by a kind of "suicidal stubbornness" and naivety that led them to their downfall.

However, Cornelia disagreed with that view. She no longer remembered many details, 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 naive that they didn't know what was best for them when making their choices? Did they really ignore the difficulties and obstacles of the path they chose?

No. Ned Stark, 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 cons is part of human nature.

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

They could not renounce the justice they carried in their hearts, the desire for freedom, the loyalty to the monarch, the love for family, the protection of the innocent, 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 never their 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 "naivety" of those who remain faithful to their aspirations, nor exalt the flexibility of wrongdoers, who adapt to circumstances at any cost. For it is only through the persistence and protection of these "naive" individuals that order and peace can 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 respect and flowers, not with contempt and mockery.

But Cornelia knows that this world will never change, and that the Stark family's character will remain unchanged as well. They will never abandon what they believe in, so the Starks' fate seems already written.

Cornelia believes that even if they had to go through all of this countless times, they would still make the same choice.

This is their destiny!

Cornelia wants to change that destiny. She knows she cannot change her family, but still wishes to change the outcome. Perhaps it is an illusion of grandeur; she understands how difficult this will be.

This is the world of Game of Thrones. Here, everyone, by their own will or by coercion, ends up trapped in the vortex of this game and cannot escape.

In her previous life, Cornelia was just an ordinary girl, with no contact with power or wealth. She had no interest in politics, nor 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 in the future, even if she cannot change destiny, and even if the end is destruction, she will always be proud to be a Stark.

"Lia, you and your siblings are my greatest pride!" Ned put his arm around Cornelia'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.

Cornelia 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 last ten years.

She would give everything for that dream.

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

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