Chapter 15

[Chapter Size: 2500 Words.]

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Cornelia was in a bad mood for a long time. After the banquet ended, she personally took Bran back to his room to sleep. Only then was she finally able to ease her tense nerves and return 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 over again.

There were very few events from King's Landing recorded in the notebook. The only concrete memory was that the king had been wounded by a boar during a hunt and had subsequently died. After his death, Cornelia'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 original 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 outcome.

However, the most important thing at the moment was protecting her father and Bran, but her mind was completely blank.

Cornelia 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 knew that continuing to dwell on it would only make her even more anxious and desperate. On the other 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 composure.

The next morning, although she hadn't slept at all, Cornelia was more emotionally stable. However, the first bad news came while she was having breakfast. Without understanding what had happened, she learned that her father had already decided to go south to King's Landing to become the Hand of the King. Moreover, he had also officially agreed to the marriage contract between Sansa and Joffrey.

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

What truly surprised Cornelia 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 original story, he also planned to take Bran.

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

As for Cornelia, going south was completely 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 and restored her strength since it had been absorbing energy from her body. However, that had yet to become a reality.

Although she knew her recovery would be much faster if she were at the Wall, Commander Jeor Mormont never allowed her to stay there for long periods. Moreover, Cornelia had a deep fear of the cold, something that had haunted her since those three years ago. And, in any case, her father never allowed her to go to the Wall. Thus, the only place 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.

Cornelia 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 remained that 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. Cornelia, however, hoped to persuade him to leave Bran and Arya at home. She knew very well what would happen next. One more person going to King's Landing would mean an even greater risk.

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

After thinking it over, Cornelia remembered that perhaps her father had originally wanted to take Bran, but in the original book, he had to leave him in the North because of the accident that had happened to him.

Even if no accident had occurred, Cornelia would never allow Bran to leave the North. His abilities needed to be fully awakened, and that was only possible beyond the Wall. Not to mention that King's Landing was an extremely dangerous place.

However, Ned had already made his decision. The North, being so far from the center of power in King's Landing, had always maintained an isolated position. However, the close relationship between Ned and King Robert ensured that this connection with the South was never completely severed. Because of this, the North's political importance had grown significantly.

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

Ned believed that Sansa would play 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 larger plan. To Ned, the North could not remain independent and isolated forever. It was necessary to establish deeper political ties with the center of power in King's Landing. He saw this as the inevitable path to House Stark's survival and prosperity.

Moreover, the conversation the king had with Ned in the underground crypt the day before was not limited to the marriage contract between Sansa and Joffrey. Robert also indirectly mentioned the possibility of a future alliance involving Prince Tommen 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 consider 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.

Cornelia tried to persuade Ned to give up taking Bran south, but he remained firm. Before she could insist further, the king announced that he planned to take all his ministers, along with Ned and Robb, on a hunting trip outside Winterfell. With no other choice, Cornelia decided to postpone the conversation and planned to bring up the matter again that night when they returned.

But the events that followed shattered all her plans and destroyed the self-confidence she had spent years building. Everything happened so fast that Cornelia was completely caught off guard.

Despite all the precautions she had taken, Bran fell.

Cornelia had always heard that one never knows what comes first: tomorrow or the unexpected. However, in this case, she had foreseen the accident. She knew it would happen in a matter of days. Even so, she couldn't prevent fate.

Cornelia couldn't share her feelings with anyone. It 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 storm raging on the far end of the chasm shattered what little calm and confidence she had, leaving only fear to take over her body and mind.

The other shore seemed so close and yet so far away.

That morning, the king's hunting party was about to leave right after breakfast. Cornélia planned to take Bran back to his room to rest for a bit and then accompany 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.

Cornélia knew that 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 Cornélia managed to convince him to come along just to the city gates to watch.

They arrived at the gate and stayed there for a while, watching as the group prepared. Cornélia 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.

Cornélia then took Bran back, waiting until the hunting party was completely out of Winterfell before they started heading back. However, after only a few steps, they ran into the second prince, Tommen Baratheon.

At that moment, Cornélia had to let go of Bran's hand to deal with the situation. Before she could react, Princess Myrcella and Prince Tommen came running towards them, playing and distracted. Myrcella, with a radiant smile, was looking behind her while saying something to Tommen, not paying attention to what was ahead. The inevitable 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 Myrcella collided with Bran, she lost her balance and fell to the ground. Her dress became covered in mud, as did her face, which made her start crying immediately.

Cornélia felt a pang in her chest. After all, this was Winterfell, and Myrcella was the princess of the realm. As the hostess, she couldn't just ignore the situation. That would be unacceptable, especially for a guest 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 become ugly if you keep crying like this!" Cornélia said in a soft tone, trying to calm her down.

Gently, she took a handkerchief from her pocket and began to wipe the mud from Myrcella's face and hands. As she wiped each little smudge, she continued comforting the princess, who gradually began to calm down.

Cornélia became momentarily distracted while consoling Princess Myrcella, not noticing 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 and see them once more. He knew his sister wouldn't allow such a mischief, so impulsively, he climbed the wall again and escaped. Convinced he could return quickly, he took only his wolf with him.

After some time, Cornélia finally managed to calm Myrcella and asked Tommen to take her back to the queen. Meanwhile, Meistre Luwin appeared. He informed her that Catelyn needed Cornélia's help to organize some matters. As Ned and the others would be away from Winterfell for quite some time, there were several ceremonial and material preparations that needed to be made quickly.

Cornélia, however, found the rush unnecessary. After all, she still needed to speak with her father about Bran and Arya, and she wanted to spend more time with them before the family parted ways. But thinking of Bran, a sudden discomfort took hold of her mind.

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

"He must be around, playing somewhere." Meistre Luwin tried to calm her. "This is Winterfell. He's not in danger here, Lia. Don't worry so much."

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

"Take me to him, now! Immediately! Start at the city wall!" Cornélia ordered, her voice urgent and filled with anxiety. Without further explanation, 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 late.

When Cornélia and Meistre Luwin approached the wall, they heard the sound of a frantic crowd. Cornélia's heart was filled with an overwhelming sensation, 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 come, became visibly tense, sweat running down his face.

"Bran!" Meistre Luwin shouted in a tone of despair.

Before Cornélia could react, Luwin let 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 corners of her eyes. She tried to rise again, but found that her body was completely weak, paralyzed by shock. It felt as though a huge mountain, a mountain called "fate," was crushing her, preventing her from standing, breathing, or fighting against what seemed inevitable.

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

But she never managed to defeat it.

At that moment, a voice cut through the darkness.

"Are you okay?" asked Tyrion Lannister, approaching after hearing about the commotion. He saw Cornélia lying on the ground, alone, in the midst of the chaotic crowd. Worried, he extended his hand and grabbed her arm. The girl seemed completely beside herself; something was clearly wrong.

Upon hearing Tyrion's voice, Cornélia 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 one but herself could understand: guilt, helplessness, and an overwhelming desire to undo what seemed impossible.

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