Chapter 7

Lord Stark had been away from Winterfell for nearly a year. The only thing that pleased Catelyn was that the evidence of her shame had been absent from the castle all that time, too. Disturbing rumors came from the war, and at some point her husband began to write to her less often, and the Maester began to put aside any letters that came to Catelyn.

The Northern lords had been arriving at the castle for a week, and all of them needed to be given proper attention and arranged at the castle. Eddard wrote that he wanted to organize a meeting of the houses of the north to discuss plans for the future. The winter town, as well as the castle itself, quickly came to life and filled with people, there were not as many as before the campaign began or as when the Highland clans take up houses to winter over, but there was still a noticeable difference.

Lady Stark was told that her husband and the rest of the lords would be arriving at the castle within a couple hours, everything had to be prepared and the guests had to be welcomed. And so, the entire Stark family lined up in the courtyard, well, almost all of them. Following her husband, the lords entered the courtyard, surrounded by their children and guardsmen. Many of them were looking at a grimy Arya with torn knees, laughing and chasing a dog around the courtyard. Catelyn gritted her teeth and glared at Robb to pick up her sister.

Strangely, the bastard was nowhere to be found. She didn't dare hope to let that one die and stop being a threat to her firstborn, the brat wouldn't die so easily. The answer came rather quickly. Snow was one of the last to enter the courtyard; he rode among the Mormonts, chatting merrily with a girl in chainmail and another, apparently his father's prisoner.

The boy seemed to be growing in confidence. He had grown a little over the year, and his closet had changed as well. The boy wore his chain mail, not the old one, but a new one, as if it had been made for him. His legs were protected by black leather boots with metal elements below the knee. No sooner had the boy gotten down from his horse than a shout was heard throughout the yard:

- John!" followed by a small black-haired whirlwind crashing into the boy.

- And I'm glad to see you, little sister! - He laughed and hugged Arya tightly.

Katelyn gritted her teeth again. Arya appeared to have broken free of Robb's arms and ran to her bastard brother, choosing to greet him before her own father.

- Will you tell me about the war? - Arya asked admiringly.

- 'Of course, except...'

- What?" Arya asked, at which Jon smiled.

- Don't tell Sansa! - they said in one voice.

Arya finally spotted her father and threw herself into his arms with a scream. Robb and Bran at the same time said hello and hugged their brother. Jon thought Sansa smiled at him as well, then tried to move toward him, but still turned and walked away with her mother. The servants escorted the guests to their assigned chambers. The Greyjoys were confused at first, but soon escorted them as well.

That night there was a feast in the dungeon, with only two people absent: Jon and Dacey.

...

The next day began as usual. Toward noon, John joined his brother in training. He had apparently already sung with Theon, though they'd known each other less than a day.

Greyjoy challenged Jon to a swordfight to show "the superiority of the legitimate over the bastards." Jon couldn't help but agree, as he picked up the practice sword, a thought occurred to him - "Probably a little squid at the feast, seated next to Lady Stark, or the septa Mordain."

Arya was actively encouraging Jon, shouting encouragement or waving her fists. Asha preferred to watch the fight in silence, as she was the eldest of the group.

In the courtyard, meanwhile, all sorts of activity was raging. The northern ladies were strolling along the castle wall or going to the bogoroscha, divided into small groups. Their husbands drank a variety of alcohol, sitting on benches right in the courtyard. The weather was favorable, and how could they not drink trophy alcohol? Some even decided to show their strength and fight on swords. Not without fist fights, but let's get back to the fight.

Despite the age difference, it was as if Jon was several levels above in sword fighting. Theon's movements were too abrupt and jagged, seeming to lack fluidity and training. "It's like he's wielding a boarding axe," Snow thought. He calmly fended off attacks and dodged them, each time it pissed Theon off more and more. At one point, he almost growled and began to strike with all his might, not even thinking about tactics. It wasn't hard to defeat such an opponent. Theon lay on the ground, stabbed flat on his back by the blade.

- The bastard was better," John smiled and held out his hand to Theon. - What an embarrassment.

- It wouldn't have been an embarrassment if one stupid whore hadn't spread her legs for a Northern idiot! The world would be better off without another Snow," Theon spat out without thinking of the consequences.

- Bloody idiot," Asha rubbed the bridge of her nose.

- What did you say? - Jon's eyes narrowed.

- I said your mother was a stupid whore! What's the matter, you bastard!?

Suddenly everyone around them fell silent, the northern lords, their children, and even the guardsmen arguing among themselves. Jon didn't care about those words, he didn't know his mother, but it was a good opportunity to show himself. The Greyjoys were already in his liver for their arrogance, arrogance and self-assurance. The journey north with him has been long and unpleasant.

- You still have time to apologize, squid.

- You won't, you bastard," Theon smirked nastily.

The islander stood opposite Jon, older and almost a head taller than Snow. Jon himself was genuinely pleased: the idiot had given exactly the answer he'd hoped for.

The next moment, Snow's fist struck Theon's jaw. Theon, who had not expected it, began to slump and could have fallen to the ground at any moment. Before he fell, he missed another blow, this time to the stomach. John sat down on his chest and began punching his defeated opponent in the face. There was a distinctive crunch, probably John had broken Theon's nose.

The nearby guardsmen intervened and pulled John away from the battered carcass.

- What's going on here!? - came the voice of Lord Stark, who, accompanied by Jory Cassel, stepped out into the courtyard.

- Nothing, Lord Stark," Jon replied calmly, as if he wasn't the reason Theon was now lying on the ground moaning.

- Jon, do you want to be punished again? - The boy sighed.

- 'Father, your ward has decided that he is your guest, not your prisoner, and has allowed himself an unacceptable statement, abusing the hospitality of our... your house.

- And what did he say?

- He said my mother was a stupid whore and that it would have been better if I had never been born," Lord Stark's eyes glittered with rage for a moment, just a moment, but it was enough for everyone around him to see it.

- Take Theon to Maester Luwin," Lord Stark instructed.

The guardsmen carried Theon away. Jon and Arya went to play, Daisy having promised Arya yesterday that she would ride her on his shoulders. Arya looked sadly in her brother's direction.

***

While the men were dealing with super important issues at their council, their wives and daughters were socializing amongst themselves. Here and there, mothers discussed possible new alliances between the noble houses, girls gossiped about heirs, speculating about who was the best potential suitor. At her mother's request, Sansa was spending the day with her younger sister to "behave like a lady."

The younger children gathered around Jon around the hearth in one of the halls: he was again telling an interesting story. This conclusion could be inferred from the large number of enthusiastic looks and open children's mouths. Besides the Stark sisters, Septa, Daisy and Sansa's friends were sitting at one of the tables.

- What do you want to be when you grow up, little wolf? - Daisy asked.

- I want to be a warrior! - Arya answered enthusiastically.

- Why?

- I don't like Sansa's stupid songs about beautiful knights and noble ladies.

- Maybe it's the other way around?

- Is there a difference? They're stupid either way," this answer caused Daisy to laugh and Septa to give her a judgmental look.

- What about you, older wolf?

- I want to marry a knight or lord from the south, bear him many beautiful children and live together with him in a big castle," Sansa replied and looked at Septa with a look asking: "Did I answer that correctly?". Daisy laughed again.

- Life is a little more complicated than you think, wolf, and we of the north need to strive for something other than the dream of marriage to a noble knight.

- But who better than a knight from the south as a husband?

 - Knights from the south are not as noble as you imagine. They kill, rob and rape like everyone else. Their blood is no different in color from the rest, and they, too, swear like port sailors at times when their silent sisters take away their festering body parts.

- That's not true," Sansa muttered quietly.

- 'Girl, the world outside your songs is not what you think it is. People wear masks that are hard to see, they can be quite devious and cruel....

- You are a liar, Lady Mormont! - Sansa shouted, then left the hall in tears. Septa gave Daisy a searing look, muttered something about "friends of the bastard" and followed her.

Dacy talked to Arya for a few more minutes, the girl listening with her mouth open about the battles Jon had fought and the course of the war. About how the prince himself had offered Jon to be his henchman and how Dacy had almost won the overall fight. Jon finished his story and headed towards them.

- What happened to Sansa? - He asked with interest.

- Do you know what kind of shit your sister's head is full of?

- Unfortunately, I can guess.

There were quick footsteps behind him, and someone yanked Jon hard by the shoulder, turning him around and slapping him hard. Snow looked up and saw Catelyn Stark's face twisted with anger.

- What did you say to my daughter, you filthy bastard?! - The hall fell silent.

- Nothing, Lady Stark," Jon replied.

- You're playing games with me, you bastard!? - The venom in her voice was enough to kill a coruscant with it.

A new slap, now on the other cheek. Arya was ready to cry at this point. The hand for the next blow was intercepted by Dacey and never reached Jon's face. Mormont really wanted to charge the trout in the face with a fist in a lacquered glove, her left hand was already clenched into a fist, but the girl quickly came to her senses. You could lose your head for attacking a suzerain's wife.

- I was the one who spoke to your daughter, Lady Stark. When I told her of the world outside Winterfell, she didn't believe me, and I think she was overly impressed.

- But--" Lady Stark opened her mouth like a beached fish.

- Come, Jon, I'll take you to the maester. Lady Stark," Daisy bowed, saying goodbye.

...

- That bitch is out of her mind," Dacy whispered, looking around.

- "Well, the Seven faith says that bastards are to blame for almost everything bad that happens in the world because they're the 'fruits of vice' themselves."

- Has she ever hit you before?

- I don't remember, I don't think so.

- Well, at least she's not crazy enough to hit a kid all the time. Do you know what my cousin told me in confidence? - The girl changed the subject.

- What's that?

- Lord Stark will send you to Bear Island as a pupil.

- How soon?

- Within a month or two.

- Then you'll have time to piss off his wife in the meantime," the boy smiled.

***

When Lord Stark returned home, he went to Maester Luwin almost immediately. Eddard had written to him during the campaign to keep all of his wife's correspondence. Luwin had long since read Lord Stark's letters, except for the most important ones delivered by messenger. It helped the lord not to be distracted by any nonsense and to be immediately aware of the matter thanks to a short paraphrase from a servant of the citadel.

Soon the Silent Wolf was comfortably seated in his solarium, surrounded by letters, some of them written by Luwin from memory. Eddard searched for any trace of his wife's possible involvement in Jon's assassination attempt. After reading a dozen letters, he found no request or even half a hint to Lord Hoster about John's elimination. Nor did rereading the letters to Lysa Arryn or Edmure Tully help. If the Riverlands Keeper had organized the assassination attempt, he had done it on his own initiative. Ned breathed a sigh of relief: Kat was clean.

The meeting of the northern lords was habitually noisy and sometimes resembled a gathering of drunkards. The heads of house habitually discussed plans for the future. The issue of war with the Iron Islands was discussed for the longest time; it was clear that the islanders would retaliate. To whom exactly, it was not hard to guess. Jon Snow and Dacey Mormont played a significant role in the Islanders' most humiliating defeats. This was primarily the defense of a galley that had almost no one but rowers and sailors on it, and the murder of one of Baelon's eldest sons. The North also had the children of their "king" as hostages. None of the Northerners doubted the conclusion: the Iron Islands would want revenge.

The only successes of the rebellion were the attacks on Seagard and Lannisport, but if conflict were to arise again - the Northmen would not be able to defend themselves. They simply don't have a fleet on the Sunset Sea. The Cailin Moat must also be rebuilt, and it too can be seized from the sea, which is the gateway to the North. Eddard wouldn't have thought of that if it hadn't been for Jon's remark. Bear Island, too, was almost defenseless and defended only by its inhabitants; there wasn't even a fortress there. There was a lot of work to do, and matters would be negotiated for weeks to come.

A separate issue was Jon himself, some lords already sympathized with him, but no one could hide him from the hands of Hoster Tully better than the Mormonts and the Reeds. The latter would be impossible to reach. The plan was to send Jon away in two months, when all business would be done and the boy could say goodbye to everyone, but his recent "quarrel" with Catelyn had forced the plans to be accelerated. The wives of his vassals often gave her less than sympathetic glances now, and they tried to keep their children away from her. They remained emphatically polite and courteous.

***

John was thoughtful today, carrying Arya carefully to her room. As soon as his little sister had heard that John was leaving again, she'd had another scandal, after which she'd tried to spend all her time with her brother. It was as if the girl was trying to savor his company. Lady Stark gritted her teeth, but accepted it. All this week, the youngest of the sisters had spent the night with her brother and clearly intended to do so for the remaining couple of days.

Jon knew he could gain strength and experience on the island faster than in Winterfell, but he was still sad. He realized he would miss all of his siblings, even Sansa. Today would be the day to approach the maester to send Prince Stannis a raven.

Jon had a road ahead of him to the Mormont fiefdom, well, at least he would have pleasant company.

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