The following days sparring with Cayn were a blur of intense preparation. Winterfell was no longer the quiet sanctuary it had been. The order had come down from Lord Eddard himself that the castle was to be scrubbed and polished until it shone. The King was bringing half the court with him and the North had to show its strength.
Link used this time to tighten his own net. He spent every spare hour in the library tower. He ignored the strange looks from the other guards who preferred to spend their coins on ale and dice.
Maester Luwin was a man of immense patience and even greater curiosity. He stood by a tall wooden shelf and watched as Link studied a map of the Kingsroad.
"You have a strange hunger for geography Link," Luwin said as he adjusted his chain of many metals. "Most men in your position are only interested in the weight of their purse or the sharpness of their blade. Why do you care so much about the bogs of the Neck or the hidden passes of the Vale?"
Link did not look up from the parchment. "A blade is useless if you are cornered in a place you do not know Maester. Information is the only thing that does not go dull with use."
Luwin chuckled softly. "Wisdom from a man in grey wool. If you keep this up I might have to find you a robe and a chain of your own."
Link managed a thin smile but his mind was elsewhere. He was memorizing the distances. He knew that when the King arrived the timeline would accelerate. Bran would fall from the tower. Ned would head south. The Starks would be scattered like leaves in a gale.
If Link was going to prevent the fall of the North he had to be able to move faster than the Lannisters. He had to know exactly where to hide and where to strike.
Current Anchor: Armory Night 1
Status: Recovered
He realized he needed to update his save point. The training yard victory was now a permanent part of his history but he could not afford to lose the knowledge he was gaining here.
He closed his eyes and felt the familiar hum of the interface.
Initiating New Anchor Point: Library Tower Day 5
He left the tower and headed toward the glass gardens. He needed to see the layout of the First Keep one more time. That was where the climb would happen. That was where the boy would see something he was never meant to see.
As he crossed the courtyard he saw the direwolf pups. They were growing at a staggering rate. Grey Wind and Summer were wrestling in the dirt while Shaggydog chewed on a piece of discarded leather.
Lady Catelyn was standing nearby. She was talking to Ser Rodrik. As Link passed she stopped mid sentence and watched him. Her eyes were sharp and filled with a mother's suspicion.
"Link," she called out.
He stopped and bowed. "My Lady."
"Ser Rodrik tells me your skills have surpassed every man of your rank," she said. Her voice was like silk but there was a cold edge to it. "He says you fight with a foresight that is almost unnatural. Where did a boy from the villages learn to read an opponent so well?"
Link kept his pulse steady. He had anticipated this. In the Game of Thrones being too talented was just as dangerous as being too weak.
"I spent my youth hunting in the deep woods My Lady," Link lied smoothly. "When you hunt a wolf you have to know where it will leap before it moves. I simply treat men the same way I treat the beasts of the forest."
Catelyn didn't look convinced. "The beasts of the forest do not play for crowns and kingdoms. Be careful Link. A man who sees too much often attracts the wrong kind of attention."
"I am just a guard My Lady," Link replied. "I only see what I am told to protect."
She dismissed him with a wave of her hand but Link felt the weight of her gaze on his back as he walked away. He knew he was playing a dangerous game. If he was too quiet he would be a nobody who died in the first battle. If he was too loud he would be seen as a threat to be removed.
He reached the base of the First Keep. He looked up at the ancient crumbling stone. Somewhere up there Jaime Lannister and Cersei would be together. Somewhere up there Bran would fall.
Link gripped the hilt of his sword. He had three days until the King arrived. He had three days to decide if he was going to catch the boy or let the fall happen to keep the timeline intact.
Every choice was a gamble. Every choice could be a Reload.
He looked at the sky. The first few flakes of snow were beginning to drift down.
Winter was coming. And for the first time Link felt like he was ready to meet it.
.….
Author Note
Hi guys! Thank you for reading my fanfiction.
I wanted to let you know that I'll be releasing bonus chapters for Power Stones. Here are the goals:
15 Power Stones: 1 Bonus Chapters
30 Power Stones: 1 Bonus Chapters
50 Power Stones: 1 Bonus Chapters
75 Power Stones: 2 Bonus Chapters
100 Power Stones: 2 Bonus Chapters
Thanks for the support!