The Mermaid Palace was a wonder, its walls, floors, and ceilings crafted from thick wooden boards. Everywhere, images of the sea came to life. Beneath Edric's feet, countless crabs, clams, and starfish were painted, nestled among seaweed and the grim bones of drowned sailors.
The walls depicted dark blue water, home to pale sharks, black eels, and light gray octopuses. Through high, arched windows, schools of herring and cod seemed to swim past.
The ceiling, cleverly painted to appear above the sea, showed a warship cutting through waves, approaching against the rising sun.
But the most magnificent mural, in Edric's opinion, was on the back wall of the high platform: a giant octopus locked in a deadly fight with a gray sea monster amidst a stormy ocean. Despite the name, there were no actual mermaids, just as Edric had guessed.
He noticed Shireen was also captivated by the murals, while Aunt Selyse seemed completely dazzled. Aunt Selyse was a tall woman, almost as tall as several knights.
She had a slender face, protruding ears, a sharp nose, and a voice as cutting as a whip.
Edric knew she didn't like him, and the feeling was mutual.
"Is that a sea monster?" Shireen whispered to him. It was an ugly creature. Legends said that sea monsters and giant octopuses appeared with storms. Some ships were lost to the storm, but others were swallowed by the sea monster itself.
"Who is more powerful, them or the dragons?" his cousin continued to ask.
Edric considered this for a moment. "One lives in the sea, the other in the sky. But I think dragons should be stronger because they breathe fire."
Lord Manderly hosted a banquet for them in the Mermaid Palace. Edric sat beside a knight of White Harbor, while Shireen was with her mother.
The knight asked him, "What brings you to the North?"
Edric took a bite of garlic sausage. "We didn't originally plan to come North, but to Storm's End."
"Oh, Storm's End, I know it!" The knight suddenly looked excited. "I sailed with the fleet that took those wildlings to Storm's End. Marquis Julius entertained us in the castle."
"Wildlings?"
"Those people from the Mountains of the Moon."
Edric silently sipped his wine, pondering the connection between the wildlings and Cole. He then heard the plump Lord Manderly, from his throne, address Aunt Selyse. "My Lady, though the North has also known war, Lord Stark has driven out the Ironborn."
It was clear Lord Manderly disagreed with Aunt Selyse's earlier statement.
"The old gods are gathering strength, my lord," the striking woman in red robes declared. "The cold wind has begun to blow, and an evil power is coming. This is a war of gods, a war of power beyond mortals.
The wars and struggles for the throne are merely squabbles of human greed and desire. In the eyes of the gods, they are nothing more than meaningless fights among ants."
Edric noticed that Lord Manderly simply listened with interest to the doomsday tale told by the red-robed woman, Melisandre. Edric didn't believe a word she said.
"Every Northerner knows winter is coming, My Lady. When the Maester announced its arrival, Lord Stark informed every castle that we'd already begun preparing for this winter. Northerners know better than anyone what winter means."
Edric had never experienced winter. Maester Pylos had told them that the last winter ended before they were born, making them children of summer. When he was young, his wet nurse had also told him that everyone born in Westeros would have to endure the test of cold winter until the day of eternal summer arrived.
However, Maester Pylos also mentioned that many scholars in the city studied Westeros's climate and disagreed with the idea of an eternal summer.
"Ice and night are both weapons of the alien god, and his servants are watching," the red-robed woman continued.
Edric saw Lord Manderly's plump face form a kind smile. "The Stark family will lead us through every winter."
A thoughtful look flickered in the red-robed woman's beautiful eyes. Her stories were delivered in a flat tone, and her expression seemed indifferent, making it hard for listeners to gauge her intentions.
"Who is that lady?" the knight beside him asked. Edric saw the knight had been staring at the ruby on the red-robed priestess's chest. Edric felt quite cold, yet Melisandre, the priestess of the Lord of Light, wore only a thin red robe.
"She is Melisandre, my uncle's priestess." He often saw the priestess looking at him with her bright red eyes.
After the meal, the maid brought him and Shireen lemon cakes. He didn't care for it much, but Shireen ate a little. His cousin had a very small appetite.
Their rooms were located next to the Mermaid Palace. Edric wanted to explore the castle, but Shireen preferred to stay in the room, so he ended up walking around alone. This was the third castle he had stayed in. White Harbor's castle was larger than Dragonstone but much smaller than Storm's End.
He walked through the training grounds, where soldiers were sparring. Edric overheard them talking about Melisandre, saying her figure was more alluring than the girls in the brothel and that they'd gladly spend a few silver stags for a night with her. Davon had also said the priestess was beautiful, but Edric didn't like her.
From the castle's high windows, they could see the distant harbor. White Harbor was divided into an inner and outer section, with a bustling market along the coast. When they passed through the market, they saw many fishermen selling their catch.
Edric reflected that he was now old enough to wield a warhammer. Back at Dragonstone, he'd asked to stay and fight with the Onion Knight and Uncle Stannis. At Storm's End, he'd trained in martial arts with the knights. He could use the lances meant for training and even lift the hammer his father had given him.
He finished his walk around the castle and returned to his rooms. They stayed in Lord Manderly's castle for three days. During this time, Edric finally learned his nickname: in hushed tones, the castle servants called him "Lord Eel." Lord Manderly was very kind to them, arranging for maids to bring cakes and other treats to Shireen every day.
On the third day, Aunt Selyse and Ser Axell Florent decided it was time to take them to Winterfell to visit the Stark family. Lord Manderly saw them off, sending knights to escort them.
Shireen and his aunt rode in the carriage, while Edric chose to ride a horse. They rode north along the White Knife River. This was Edric's first glimpse of the North's lands.
Distant hills showed patches of white snow, and vast stretches of desolate land unfolded before them. They rode for a long time without seeing any sign of people.
The cold wind bit at his face like a knife, forcing him to pull his cloak tighter to cover his neck. The horses' hooves steadily carried them north, and the wind grew fiercer with every mile.