The Great Hall buzzed with life, the stone walls echoing with laughter, and the clatter of trenchers. Banners of the direwolf and the dragon fluttered above the tables, lit by the flickering orange glow of countless torches and hearthfires. The air smelled of roasted boar, honeyed root vegetables, and spiced wine.
At the head table, I sat beside my father, draped in our formal robes and coat. Lord Stark sat nearby, flanked by his bannermen and family, discussing the integration of Drakon training and engineering expertise with the Northern strongholds. The adults spoke in subdued tones, voices steeped in strategy and caution.
My eyes wandered first to the Stark children. Little Robb and Sansa whispered and giggled together across the room, occasionally sneaking glances at me. I offered a bored smirk and leaned toward my father.
"May I sit with Storia and our men instead?" I asked quietly.
My father's gaze flicked to the lower tables, where Storia sat among both Stark and Drakon warriors, including young Jon Snow. Her laughter echoed as she told one of her many embellished battle tales. My father nodded without hesitation. "As you wish just don't cause any trouble." "Yes sir." I responded. Crossing the hall, I moved through the sea of guests until I reached the long bench beside Storia. Jon's eyes lit up when he saw me surprise, then pride, then something like joy.
"Mind if I join the greatest of Drakon and Stark?" I asked. "Of course my Lord," Storia teased, nudging me with her elbow as the warriors around us roared with laughter welcoming me in. I grinned, sliding in next to Jon, who stared at me with wide eyes like I'd just sat beside a ghost.
Storia was in the middle of recounting a tale. "and your grandmother, gods rest her soul, broke the warlord's spine with one swing of her spear. Your mother? She threw herself in front of her like a storm, spear raised high and voice screaming like a banshee. Those two were fire and lightning incarnate."
She paused, sipping her mead. " Your grandfather now there was a man who could make even the fiercest warrior drop his blade just by looking at him. Like a dragon in human form." I looked at her, caught off-guard. "They were that strong?"
She nodded. "That and more, there might never be a pair like those two ever again." The firelight danced across her eyes. For a moment, I saw her not as my protector or mother figure but as a connection to the past. Jon, clearly enraptured, leaned in closer, whispering, "Your family sounds like they are all legends."
"They were and I will make sure to live up to my name," I replied softly. "The next legends will be about our accomplishments." After the feast, as the castle settled into sleep, I slipped away from my room. My steps were light so I wouldn't get caught. The cold air kissed my face, and frost crunched softly beneath my boots as I moved unseen through the courtyards.
Winterfell's walls felt cold but alive like it was something beyond mere stone to withstand the long cold winter's. That's when I felt it like a ripple in water. A strong disturbance in the Force, it was faint yet powerful at the same time. It was drawing me to the eye of the storm. I followed it through the stone halls until I reached a thick gate, the entrance to the godswood.
The cold deepened as I stepped beneath its snow-laden branches. Moonlight illuminated the clearing, and there it stood the heart tree. The ancient Weirwood with red leaves on ashen oak and carved face stared down at me with eyes bleeding sap.
I took a hesitant step forward one after the other. The ripple intensified to a small pulse like a beating heart. It flooded my senses with a cold, alien familiarity. As I got closer to the tree almost mesmerized I placed my hand against the bark. I closed my eyes and reached out with the Force to see what I would find.
A first there was only silence… Then a flash of light appeared in my minds eye. It started to snow gently but it wasn't cold it the eye of the falling snow I stood before two figures in an endless white mist.
One: a tall, slender woman with raven-black hair that fell like silk down her back, eyes as white as snow, skin blue yet so pale it glowed beneath her translucent gown. The other: a shorter, more mature looking woman with wild blood red hair, skin like ash white, eyes the color of frozen sapphire. Power radiated from them I couldn't tell if it was the Living or the Cosmic Force but it was powerful. As I stared the two presence felt stronger like something deeper, older, and terrifying.
Then they turned looking at each other and looked directly at me. Their hands rose in unison pointing towards me.
Their presence crashed over me like a tidal wave. Not malevolent or evil but vast overwhelming me. I recoiled from the tree and the vision with a gasp, staggering backward and falling to one knee in the snow.
"What was that?" I whispered Then moment's later a firm hand gripped my shoulder. I spun around startled only to see Lord Stark standing beside my father, both cloaked in furs and lantern-light. "Samar," Ned said gently, "are you well?" I struggled to catch my breath. "I… I felt something. In the tree. I reached out and" My father stepped forward, eyes sharp and alert. "What were you doing here alone?"
"I wanted to explore the grounds," I admitted. "Get fresh air I didn't mean" Lord Stark's face remained composed, but his voice was firm. "Samar, please Storia with you if you must wander. She is more familiar with the grounds or ask one of my boy's to guide you."
"Yes, my lord." My father crouched beside me. " Did something happened ?"
"I… reached out with the Flow to the tree," I said. "I saw two women. They felt like something more than human and were powerful." My father eyed the Weirwood curiously. Ned's brow furrowed. Concern etched into the corners of his face. "Tell me what they looked like."
I describe their physical features. As I described them, something in his expression shifted less confusion, more dread. "Don't return here alone," he said finally. "Whatever you saw… might have the Old Gods still watch through the trees and they do not always favor the living or outsider's besides the Stark's. So you much be careful there are many tales of misfortune happening to outsider's in the north."
My father stood closer saying "Bring Melisandre with you as well just incase I believe her lord of Light might protect. Or at least take the target of your back and place it on her. Then as if summoned, Melisandre emerged from the entrance with her warriors. Her coat flowed like blood on snow.
"My lord's," she said to my father and Ned, Then she looked towards the tree. Her eyes trained on it for a good moment. The she looked back towards us "allow us to escort him back." My father nodded. " Yes thank you, and make sure he rests." She nodded then Melisandre placed her hand on my shoulder as we walked through the courtyard. "Tell me everything," she whispered. I did and when I finished describing the women and my feeling, she stopped walking.
"Do you know their names?" she asked.
"No. Should I have asked?" "Yes," she said. "Because the Flow may have shown you some of Westeros's gods like Lord Stark said. The gods well some are… fickle beings. They don't take kindly to strong mortals. Or… competition." I frowned thinking to myself I don't believe they were gods not truly. Maybe… maybe they were Force-sensitive beings that ascended, perhaps. Maybe they are like the Ones from Mortis the Father, Brother, and Sister. Unfortunately I wouldn't know unless I meant the Ones. I wonder if their is a Force nexus on this planet or then mid thought Melisandre spoke.
"Please be careful in the future," she said, leaning in close. "Because if they are, then you may have found something no one else in this world understands. I will protect with my life so please rely on me my lord." I nodded. "I will thank you Melisandre." She smiled then guided me into my chambers, the fire already lit and a robe waiting near the bed. She knelt and kissed my forehead. "Rest now, my little sun.
Tomorrow brings new challenges for you to conquer." I slid beneath the furs, still shivering not from cold, but from the echoes of those two terrible, beautiful figures in the snow. And as sleep took me, I whispered to myself:"…They were watching me so they better figure out to stay out of my way."
The next morning the cold air bit my skin, even inside the stone walls of Winterfell. Dawn had yet to break, though that meant little in the North where the sun rarely showed its face. I sat cross-legged near the fireplace, its heat a small comfort as I entered a meditative state, reaching out through the Force. I could feel its familiar currents swirl around me like mist in moonlight.
My intention was clear: to reach across time and distance… to Daenerys. I found her, even if only for a fleeting moment. As if sleeping beside a great fire, I could see her bathed in warm light, the faintest breath parting her lips. "Samar misses you," I whispered through the bond.
Then a voice spoke sounding very feminine and ethereal. So sweet… and yet so cold. "Oh… so that is your name?"
My eyes snapped open. I turned sharply, half expecting someone standing behind me in the shadows. But I was alone. My senses scanned the room nothing physical, yet something had touched me. A ripple in the Force. Was it one of the two I had seen in the godswood vision the night before?
The Great Hall Gathering
The sunless morning eventually called all to the Great Hall. Lords and soldiers filled the chamber with steel and fur, murmuring over steaming bowls and roasted meats.
At the front stood Lord Stark and my father, both stern and commanding as they addressed the men of Winterfell. I stood beside Storia, her armor cleaned and braided hair freshly coiled. Melisandre, flanked by her red-robed sisters and their disciplined warriors, remained just to the side watchful, enigmatic, ever-burning.
Lord Stark's voice carried strength as he spoke: "Winterfell welcomes the Drakons, not only as guests, but as allies and teachers. Merchants among them will first bring goods here, then to the other Northern houses, and finally south to King's Landing. More than trade, they bring knowledge—lessons in reading and writing for all who seek it no matter how young or old."
This made some of the men whisper knowing how valuable learning to read and write is not offered to the common. For the Drakon's and Lord Stark to be offering tis is a true gift.
Then he gestured to Storia. "If you show promise, Warrior Storia may take you under her wing and teach you some of the Drakon ways. What some call the Flow and yes to the rumours I do know some of their way's. That does not mean you will learn what I did but be warned, her trials are not for the weak of heart. Those who pass may earn a place among the elite wolves know as the Wolf Pack or even rise to join the Drakons should they recruit you."
A murmur spread through the crowd. Hushed tones of wonder, anticipation… ambition. Then my father stepped forward.
"To the carpenters and builders, your task begins today. Alongside my architects, you will construct a new wall a fortified barrier to protect the outer town of Winterfell. Not just stone and wood inside each home, we will build the homes and refurbish the the existing to be built for insulating heat from the Sun and maximizing the heat from the fireplace to keep your families warm through the cruelest winters."
At this, gasps rippled through the crowd. Homes that will be warmer and be able to keep the people safe through the toughest of winters In the north that's revolutionary. Even I was stunned. Of course It was a simple yet genius idea. One that could change the lives of thousands. Father had been planning more than I realized.
After the speech, the men were split into their respective divisions laborers, guards, hopeful warriors, and scribes. I was dismissed to join the Stark children, though my mind still danced with the words of change and opportunity. Before leaving, I approached Melisandre.
"What will you be doing today?" I asked. "Helping where needed," she replied with a soft smile. "We will be going were we are needed. Some will help with the Labor and others will join the training. While I and some others will be doing recruitment."
I narrowed my eyes, cautious. "Recruitment? For the Drakons… or the Lord of Light?" She tilted her head, the flames of her eyes reflecting her mischief. "The Lord of Light, of course." I sighed, then leaned in. "If you find a red-haired girl around my age in the town named Ros… let me know. She could be useful."
She raised a brow. "A vision?" I nodded. Melisandre, ever perceptive, then smirked. "Should I recruit the Stark girl as well?" I blinked. "Let's not push our luck. Let's grow our sect's and our power first… then we choose wisely who to bring in." She nodded. "That is wise, As you wish my lord." Then, without another word, she and her priestesses departed, leaving behind a trail of heat in the frost-heavy air.
While the outer walls rang with the sound of hammer and steel, and the air filled with the scent of sawdust and stew, I joined the Stark children in their studies. Sansa, surprisingly could not stop staring at me. Robb, bold and fair with a sword. Jon was more reserved and well behaved.
But behind it all…
My eyes remained open. My heart steady. The pieces were moving and plans were coming together. though I was learning, watching, growing. The whisper from the Godswood still haunted me. "Oh… so that is your name?" I would find out what those two beings were even I had to walk through fire into the cold unknown to do so.