The sound of the hunting party faded into the distance. Winterfell felt strangely hollowed out, as if its soul had departed with the King and the Lord of the North. Link stood in the shadow of a crumbling stone archway, his eyes fixed on the grey, weathered face of the First Keep.
Above him, the wind whistled through the gaps in the masonry. Then, he saw him.
Bran Stark was a small speck of brown and grey, moving with terrifying speed. The boy climbed with a rhythmic grace, his fingers finding holds in cracks that seemed invisible from the ground. Link felt a cold sweat prickling his forehead. He knew exactly which window the boy was heading toward.
Status: Mental Strain High
Observation: The Event Fall of Bran is beginning.
Link began to climb. He chose a path on the opposite side of the tower, hidden by a heavy growth of ancient ivy. His muscles burned as he hauled himself up, stone by agonizing stone. He needed to save his mental energy for the confrontation.
By the time he reached the level of the broken window, his breath was coming in ragged gasps. He pressed his back against the cold stone and listened.
From inside the room, he heard the sounds of intimacy. Then, the Queen's voice rose, sharp with anxiety.
"What if someone saw us?" Cersei Lannister whispered.
"The King is out hunting," Jaime replied, his voice filled with a casual, dangerous arrogance. "And even if he weren't, I would kill him and everyone else until there was no one left to speak."
Link closed his eyes. Then came the sound of a stone crumbling. A sharp gasp from a child.
"He saw us!" Cersei's voice was no longer silk. It was a whip.
Link moved. He swung around the corner of the tower just as Jaime Lannister reached out and grabbed Bran by the collar of his jacket. The boy was dangling over the edge, hundreds of feet above the hard, frozen ground.
"How old are you, boy?" Jaime asked.
"Seven," Bran squeaked.
"Seven," Jaime mused. He looked toward the window where Cersei stood, her eyes wide with panic. "The things I do for love."
Jaime opened his hand.
"No!" Link shouted.
In that split second, Link lunged forward from his perch on the ivy. He caught the boy's forearm just as he began to fall. The sudden weight nearly tore Link's arm from its socket. He slammed against the side of the tower, his boots scrambling for purchase. Bran screamed, dangling over the abyss, held only by Link's white knuckled grip.
Jaime Lannister froze. He looked out the window and found himself staring into the eyes of the guard from the Great Hall.
"You," Jaime whispered. His golden face twisted into a mask of pure intent.
Link looked up at the Kingslayer. His arm felt as if it were being scorched by fire.
"I have him, Ser Jaime," Link gasped, his teeth bared. "And I have seen the shadows that follow you. If we fall, the North will wake and there will be nowhere in the Seven Kingdoms for a Kingslayer to hide. Do you truly want to test the gods today?"
Jaime hesitated. He looked at the guard, then at the terrified boy. In the distance, the sound of a horn blew from the courtyard below. The first of the scouts had returned.
"Someone is coming!" Cersei panicked, pulling on Jaime's cloak. "We have to go! Now!"
Jaime looked at Link one last time. The mockery was gone. He saw a man who didn't look afraid to die, and that was the one thing that truly unsettled him.
He disappeared from the window.
Link groaned, his muscles screaming as he slowly hauled the sobbing Bran Stark up onto the narrow stone ledge. They were both safe for now, but Link knew he had just declared war on the most powerful family in the world.
He looked at the boy and then at the sky.
I saved the legs, Link thought. But I have changed the game.
New Anchor Point Established: Rescue at the First Keep.
...….
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!