[Chapter Size: 3600 Words.]
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Third Person POV Winterfell, 298 AC.
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As expected, each had a different reaction, while Rickon began to show the first signs 30 minutes after taking the potion.
Suddenly, the shaggy dog that had been on his lap the whole time stood up, quite agitated and strange, as it started to move... Its motor coordination was a mess, and it seemed to struggle to make any movement.
The direwolf began to stagger from side to side.
It was scared—Arya could see that in him—and the dog looked at Arya, dazed, as if it wanted to say something, but the only sound coming out were the cries of a wolf pup.
"He's inside the wolf," she murmured, able to even feel him there, beyond the strange actions.
Arya understood very well that this was her brother in Shaggy Dog's mind for the first time, while the direwolf—or rather, Rickon himself—tried to understand the situation and wanted to return to normal. He was scared.
Arya crouched and gently touched his head with some affection.
The wolf's body began to blink its eyes, which suddenly returned to their original color, at the same time Rickon's white eyes disappeared and he fell beside the tree, sighing and looking frightened.
"What was that?" he said, panting, as if still lost.
"It's okay. You're back, brother," Arya said, trying to calm him while he looked at her, still a little worried.
She took a canteen of water and handed it to him. He began to calm down. His gaze shifted to Bran and Robb, who still had white eyes, just as Arya had shown earlier.
"Was I like that?" he asked, a little scared.
"Yes," she nodded, giving a small laugh.
"Now let's wait to see how long they will take. I think it might be a while, so you can ask questions," Arya said, watching her unconscious brothers, and Rickon seemed increasingly uneasy.
They stayed there for a while as Arya answered some questions and asked others to her brother. After an hour, she realized there was no use keeping him there.
"Do you want to go inside, brother? I'll have to stay to see how they react. Jill can take you to the castle. You need to eat something too," Arya said, worried about Rickon, who seemed a bit uncertain. Clearly, he didn't want to leave his brothers, but he was also cold and hungry.
"Then... please, take me inside," he asked, as Jill helped him, taking his hand and guiding him out with his wolf following. Still, he didn't stop looking at his brothers, who remained still with white eyes, leaning against the tree.
Arya stayed there for a few more minutes, until the entrance gate to the grove opened and she saw her father approaching with a worried look.
"What is happening?" Ned murmured, looking at his two sons with white eyes.
He had decided not to interfere in this, so Arya hadn't given him the details of the training they'd been doing every evening. He had no idea today would be a ritual.
"Hello, Father," Arya gave a small smile, turning her gaze back to her brothers.
"What's going on? Rickon arrived late to dinner with a strange story... I got worried about Bran and Robb. And Rickon was like that too?" he asked.
Arya simply nodded. "Yes. The weaker the warg power, the faster he'll wake up. That's why he woke up before the others. Rickon is very young, but after today, all of them will have their potential unlocked," Arya explained.
Example: The potion is basically an opening. The greater the current strength of the warg, the longer it will take to wake up. Example: while Rickon has the strength of a level 2 warg, not only does he wake up earlier, but after the potion, he could reach level 10. The same goes for Robb, who has the strength of a level 6 warg and will take longer than Rickon... He might also reach level 10, or even beyond.
"Explain to me exactly what this training you're doing means," her father demanded.
Arya nodded. "Alright," she said, as she began to explain how the training worked.
Suddenly, Grey Wind, Robb's wolf, began to stir restlessly, looking at Arya and her father, frightened. She interrupted her explanation to look at the animal and smiled.
"Father... say hello to Robb. He just took over his wolf's mind," Arya said with a smile, while Ned Stark, with a slightly surprised look, watched.
It had been two hours since Rickon had woken up. Robb was next. Grey Wind blinked a few times and returned to normal, at the same time Robb blinked immediately, returning to consciousness, looking dazed.
"What happened?" he asked, his throat a little dry.
Arya took the same canteen and handed it to him to drink, while he recovered. Ned just observed him, studying him with his eyes. Then, he turned his gaze to Bran, who remained motionless. Both the boy and Summer didn't appear out of the ordinary, just unconscious.
"Welcome back, Robb. I'll explain," Arya said, giving the same explanation she had given the younger brother earlier.
"So, now we're just waiting for Bran to wake up," Robb said.
"You said the greater the current power the person has, the harder it is to wake up. Does that mean Bran is stronger than his brothers?" Ned asked.
"Exactly. That shows his strength is beyond us—even beyond me," Arya said, smiling.
None of the three moved. Only Robb stirred afterward, feeling a bit uncomfortable as his body began to ache from sitting against a hard tree for three hours.
The hours went by, while the three observers made a comment here and there, but no one spoke loudly. They all looked at Bran.
"Robb, go rest. You too, Arya. I can take care of him," Ned suggested.
"No way," Robb said immediately, while Arya agreed with a silent nod.
"Hello, Father," Arya gave a small smile, turning her gaze back to her brothers.
"What's going on? Rickon arrived late to dinner with a strange story... I got worried about Bran and Robb. And Rickon was like that too?" he asked.
Arya simply nodded. "Yes. The weaker the warg power, the faster he'll wake up. That's why he woke up before the others. Rickon is very young, but after today, all of them will have their potential unlocked," Arya explained.
Example: The potion is basically an opening. The greater the current strength of the warg, the longer it will take to wake up. Example: while Rickon has the strength of a level 2 warg, not only does he wake up earlier, but after the potion, he could reach level 10. The same goes for Robb, who has the strength of a level 6 warg and will take longer than Rickon... He might also reach level 10, or even beyond.
"Explain to me exactly what this training you're doing means," her father demanded.
Arya nodded. "Alright," she said, as she began to explain how the training worked.
Suddenly, Grey Wind, Robb's wolf, began to stir restlessly, looking at Arya and her father, frightened. She interrupted her explanation to look at the animal and smiled.
"Father... say hello to Robb. He just took over his wolf's mind," Arya said with a smile, while Ned Stark, with a slightly surprised look, watched.
It had been two hours since Rickon had woken up. Robb was next. Grey Wind blinked a few times and returned to normal, at the same time Robb blinked immediately, returning to consciousness, looking dazed.
"What happened?" he asked, his throat a little dry.
Arya took the same canteen and handed it to him to drink, while he recovered. Ned just observed him, studying him with his eyes. Then, he turned his gaze to Bran, who remained motionless. Both the boy and Summer didn't appear out of the ordinary, just unconscious.
"Welcome back, Robb. I'll explain," Arya said, giving the same explanation she had given the younger brother earlier.
"So, now we're just waiting for Bran to wake up," Robb said.
"You said the greater the current power the person has, the harder it is to wake up. Does that mean Bran is stronger than his brothers?" Ned asked.
"Exactly. That shows his strength is beyond us—even beyond me," Arya said, smiling.
None of the three moved. Only Robb stirred afterward, feeling a bit uncomfortable as his body began to ache from sitting against a hard tree for three hours.
The hours went by, while the three observers made a comment here and there, but no one spoke loudly. They all looked at Bran.
"Robb, go rest. You too, Arya. I can take care of him," Ned suggested.
"No way," Robb said immediately, while Arya agreed with a silent nod.
"Let's wait two more hours. If he doesn't come back by the Hour of the Wolf, we'll take him to the castle. He should be kept in bed," Arya said.
"Does he need to stay by the tree?" Robb asked, while Arya shook her head.
"The tree only serves to accelerate the process. It doesn't mean he has to stay attached to it the entire time. Better to take him to a room than leave him out here all night," she said.
No one said anything else. When the Hour of the Wolf arrived, and there was still no sign of Bran... Arya shook her head.
"Let's take him. He needs to rest in a bed," Arya said.
The Starks nodded, and Robb himself picked up his brother, along with the grey wolf that never left Bran's side.
Arya grabbed her cloak from over her dress, after removing it, and placed it over Bran so no one would see his white eyes as they entered the castle.
They headed to the Stark family wing, and Bran was laid in his bed.
"I want someone to stay with him," their father said, worried that his son hadn't woken up yet.
"Leave it to me. I'll take care of him," Robb offered. No one disagreed.
Meanwhile, Arya returned to her room.
As for Lord Stark, his footsteps echoed through the halls until he reached his chamber, where he found his lady waiting for him in bed. Ever since they had established a relationship with Cassandra, she had been sleeping with him, sneaking into his chambers over the past few days.
While all of this was happening and Winterfell slumbered, no one knew exactly what was going on inside Bran's mind at that moment. Meanwhile, Robb lay on a mattress placed beside the bed. His gaze kept drifting to his brother, wondering where he was now, at that very moment.
He wondered if Bran was seeing the same thing he had experienced. Wondered if Bran was feeling the same sensation. What Robb didn't know was that it was deeper than that.
It was a strange feeling in Bran's head. It felt like he was traveling through many places at every moment...
Bran was having a series of visions. Visions that weren't his, but of a strange future. He began to hear familiar voices and witness actions he would never have imagined those people capable of.
...
The first vision began with a strange sensation of falling, before the pain came. His legs... they no longer worked.
...
The second was wolves heading into the mouth of a lion's den.
...
Then, another vision began with a crowd shouting in a place surrounded by snow-covered mountains, while a man pointed toward a snowstorm as the storm and wind began to arrive.
The crowd was behind a wall, with the man shouting words that sounded like whispers to Bran, yet still captivated the crowd. He couldn't see his face, but he was standing atop something very large.
He pointed his sword to the sky. Bran didn't know who the man was, as the image didn't show his face, but he certainly recognized his voice. As soon as he lowered the sword as if giving a command, a flaming arrow shot forward, diving straight into the snow, crossing mountains and forests.
Nothing happened as it entered the mist of the snowstorm. It seemed the flaming arrow had gone out, for there was no fire within it. Until, suddenly, there was a flash.
An explosion so massive that even the Wall trembled and the North felt a quake beneath their feet. In the next moment, with a massive burst of light, the vision changed.
...
The image of a ship appeared, along with others behind it, as someone fell from the sky, hitting the deck hard. Everyone stared at the one who had just fallen — especially the red eyes. Those red eyes seemed to see pure flames before them. There was emotion in them, watching the man rise as if the fall had meant nothing.
She raised her hand toward him, but the man was enraged with her. He took a few steps toward the one with red eyes, drew his sword, and cut her down, removing her head in front of everyone on the ship. The red eyes showed surprise and fear.
...
Another battle followed, on a snow-covered ground, where two people fought each other, moving in an inhuman way. Magic sword against magic sword. Neither seemed ordinary.
They clashed in an intense fight, and though Bran didn't know who would win, one thing was clear: both wore crowns of ice.
...
Soon, ships with white flags and a blue symbol sailed across the sea, heading south. They stopped at an island, where men disembarked, marking everyone before them. A massacre began that day.
...
They continued sailing and stopped at other islands, where they brought destruction and death. They were unstoppable. Yet none of them seemed satisfied, as the ships sailed even further south.
...
Lannister banners burned. Men in red cloaks and matching armor lay on the ground, stained even redder by their own blood. There was a pile of corpses.
...
Another explosion came, and suddenly a great fortress began to collapse into the sea.
...
Another explosion. Another castle destroyed.
...
One more explosion. Another castle in ruins.
...
Explosion after explosion burst forth, blazing with fire. Castles became piles of stone.
...
Bran saw, suddenly, a dragon roaring against a lion. The lion was humiliated. The lion lost an arm and was left alive to suffer.
...
The roses began to burn too.
...
A garden exploded, with green flames turning the place into a pit of rubble.
...
The roses wept. The lions howled. None of them trusted the other anymore. Everyone was losing — but it was too late to realize that.
...
The dragon arrived, but in human form. The rose looked at him with anger and fear. But the dragon seemed unstoppable. He was furious, and he didn't care about starting to burn and destroy everything. Kill as many as needed. He was losing himself.
...
A she-wolf appeared and tried to calm him. She begged him to act more calmly. The dragon calmed down. And suddenly, the vision shifted.
...
Bran found himself in a room. It was hard to see both of them, as a woman removed her dress in front of a man lying in bed.
"We can't do this..." the man said.
"Who do you think you're fooling? I want this. And you do too. I feel your desire... and I know you can feel mine," the woman said softly, as she climbed on top of the man, who didn't resist her kisses.
...
A great city was invaded. They already knew defeat. Not even the great lighthouse could withstand its fall a second time. Old debts began to be collected, faith crumbled.
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Men of the storm, the few who remained, began to flee, hiding in their strongholds. Everyone felt fear, as a fleet appeared on the sea, from the other side of the continent.
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The fleet that had conquered the last city departed and finally returned north. But the fleet from the other side stopped in front of a great city.
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A city full of lies and schemes. Stags died. Lions died. Flowers died. Wolves died. And even dragons had already died there. Now they were surrounded by ice, as they sought vengeance for what had been done to the wolf.
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A red-skinned she-wolf could be seen, shy, while alone in sorrow.
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The city was in chaos at that moment. The dragon invaded. The old lion howled as he was massacred.
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The eyes of the watchers turned to the north. Flayed men screamed, begged for mercy — but it never came.
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The images became increasingly blurry, more distorted. Bran could no longer make sense of them.
...
The wall of ice began to collapse with a crash so loud that all the North heard it. No one knew whether it was an explosion of sorrow or relief. There was nothing left to keep both realms apart.
...
Someone had taken the Winter Throne once again.
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Suddenly, he began to see. Dragons emerging.
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He didn't know why, but his visions began to turn into voices.
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"You're not my brother!" someone shouted in anger. It was a female voice.
...
Suddenly, the voices turned into roars again, coming from the sky, while the sounds of beasts being wounded began to be heard. They were agonizing in pain. One of them was missing, but would be destroyed later.
...
The chaos ended after that. It felt like Bran was sensing all the madness that was yet to come.
...
Then, the Iron Throne appeared before him. A man sat upon it, while the entire hall knelt before him — all the houses of Westeros. But that was not his home.
...
The giant fell, collapsing into the sea. The devout began to mourn, before being attacked.
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All their enemies were destroyed.
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Then everything returned to calm, like a still puddle of water, undisturbed. But ahead, shadows seemed to stir as time passed.
...
"What are you doing, uncle!?" a young voice, perhaps Robb's age, approached.
"I'm preparing, since I'm going with you. I'm not going to let you go adventuring alone," the man said with a smile to the boy, who raised an eyebrow at his uncle with two differently colored eyes.
"Are you sure, uncle? Are you sure Father's going to be okay with this? I don't think he needs you," he murmured.
"Arctic is thriving, my prince. Now my duty is with you, on this journey. I'm sure your father will be pleased when you bring back those Wyverns you plan to turn into a unique royal guard squadron," the man said with a smile.
"You really think it's a good idea, uncle!?"
"Yes..."
"That's great! I want to create an entire royal guard squadron with warg powers. 100 Wyverns mounted by them. They can't follow us when we're flying our dragons, but that might change once we explore the south!" the boy said with excitement.
...
The scene changed.
The same man, who had smiled before, now stood on the balcony of the white palace, while the tree above him had already reached 300 meters in height, its branches spreading far beyond his head. His thoughts were interrupted as a woman approached him.
"Why didn't you think to tell me about your trip?" the woman said with displeasure, crossing her arms as she leaned against the wall at the entrance.
"I knew you wouldn't take it well. But I was going to tell you tonight..." the man murmured, not looking back, still keeping his gaze on the city that hadn't stopped growing in recent years.
From there, one could see Arctic at its peak... The city always seemed to grow, even though there were more cities now throughout the region and Arcticans were migrating to them, it never seemed to shrink. On the contrary. The new generations were already rising to take their parents' places, and the city bustled with all kinds of people walking through it.
"Oh, sure... how could I not be mad to learn that my husband is going to be away for months?" the woman retorted.
"Sorry about that," the man murmured, turning to her. "But Loki needs me. What he wants to bring to the kingdom is very promising. And it will be good for the crown prince to be recognized by the people, and not just live in the shadow of his father's achievements. You know very well I've always cared about that, right?" he said, as the woman sighed...
"Are you taking Robb?" she asked.
"Loki is old enough to start navigating the world. I plan to take Robb with me this time." The man said with a confident tone.
"Just come back soon, you idiot. I hate when you do these things," the woman said, as the man approached her and embraced her tenderly.
"My intention was never to hurt you or make you worry. Don't worry, I'll take good care of our son. In any case, we're heading south. I'd like to see my brother and his family one last time," the man said, as the woman nodded in agreement.
"Alright. I'll let you prepare the ship. I'll get the children ready," she said, leaving and leaving the man alone.
She vanished, and another woman appeared approaching him moments later — not very tall, but instantly recognizable. She was now much taller than the last time he had seen her years ago. She walked with stunning grace.
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