Game of Thrones: Paladin of Old Gods

Chapter 30: 'He will be able to do it.'

POV: Eddard Stark;

Winterfell.

About two hours after the shriek of an enraged Lady...

The young Lord of Winterfell, walked briskly to his rooms. He was fresh from over two hundred apologies to his guests for the outrageous behaviour of his Lady wife...

Helman Tallhart was shocked and confused within the first few minutes of the tragic event...as was everyone in that room. Ned had, quite literally, dragged his wife from the halls...he had publicly apologised more than once.

Helman Tallhart seemed furious...as he should be, after a father was forced to calm a traumatised son by the unjust abuse he had suffered. Although Helman was entitled by all the laws of man and the Seven Kingdoms to respond to the insult to his House, his loyal bannerman showed a demeanour and understanding worthy of a true Lord. Eddard had tried to explain that Catelyn, had not yet become accustomed to the ways of the North...and that she had probably not been feeling well on this day.

'As if that could justify her behaviour...and then...she used 'those words', called a child, barely seven years old, in 'that way'. DAMN CAT! IN THE NAMES OF THE ANCIENT GODS, WHAT THE HELL HAS GOTTEN INTO YOU?!' Thought Eddard Stark furiously.

Arriving at the corridor of the Lord's tower, Ned met Luwin. The new Maester of Wintefell, he looked tired and confused.

"Maester Luwin, how is my wife?" Eddard asked in a serious and terse tone.

"My lord...she...is very angry and confused, my lord. It could be, a case of stress-induced exhaustion, my lord. Lady Catelyn...seems determined to justify her actions...well, I tried to offer her some warm milk with a drop of essence of nightshade...but she refused, my lord. She wants to talk to you Lord Stark." Luwin said, trying to leave out the part about the shrieking and nonsense he was forced to listen to.

"Catelyn will, maester. She will answer for her behaviour, I swear it on the name of my House...Good evening, Maester Luwin." Said Ned as he passed the older man.

"Good evening, my Lord" Luwin.

About two minutes later...

"Sduffh!" Ned closed the door to his bedrooms again.

"NED! YOU MUST LISTEN TO ME! I KNOW, I WAS WRONG! BUT I HAD A GOOD REASON..."

"SILENCE CAT!!!" Eddard interrupted his young wife abruptly.

"You will not speak until I say you may. This is an order Catelyn...Do I make myself clear?" Ned ordered in a tone of voice that Eddard Stark had only used once before...at Kings Landing in front of Robert and Jon Arryn.

Catelyn promptly fell silent...then nodded her head. She was visibly frightened by her husband's new attitude. Never before had her sweet and honourable Ned, addressed her in this way...even when they were discussing Jon...

Eddard Stark nodded, then relaxed for a moment and headed for the fireplace. He stared at the dancing flames for more than a minute. The man wanted to try and regain the calm and composure he needed, to face this difficult conversation. Then, the Lord of Winterfell and Protector of the North turned to seek out Catelyn Stark's gaze.

"Now I'm going to ask you some questions Cat...I want you to answer me clearly and concisely. Do not try to take advantage of our relationship or that relationship will be lost forever from then on. Is that clear to you?" Ned asked in a calm tone.

"Yes...yes Ned..." Catelyn.

"I have spent the previous hours apologising and trying to heal the tear you have just caused to the honour of House Stark...I want to know why it has come to this. Why did you do it Catelyn?" Ned.

"I...That boy the bast....the son of Lord Helman, has been insulting me all day, taunting me in many ways. He's a monster Ned! He is dangerous and should not come anywhere near our son Robb!" Said Catelyn truthfully.

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"....explain yourself Cat...In what way would he have offended and provoked you, that child of just seven years old?" If he hadn't been living together with Catelyn for the past year, no doubt, Ned, would think the woman in front of her was crazy. He was making an enormous effort to meet his wife's needs....

"It's hard to explain...that guy is smart Ned, he provoked me so that only I would notice him! No one but me could have noticed, he provoked me and I fell into his trap. He tricked me!" Catelyn.

"I repeat. In what way, would that boy have 'insulted' and 'provoked' you?" Eddard.

"He...at first he was slippery in his greeting, he purposely wet my hand with saliva, then he called your bastard by the appellation 'Lord', he knew that in this way he would primarily offend me. Afterwards he was definitely the one who got Robb to stain my dress with cake...I didn't see it directly...but I'm sure of it! And then during the presents Ned...you didn't see him....you didn't see the way he looked at me...a terrifying, defiant, intentional look...it was scary Ned...and then they insulted me with the presents..." Cat was stopped for a moment.

"The presents? What was wrong with the presents?" Ned asked more confused than ever.

"See for yourself! I had a handmaiden bring them here! Look Ned! Do you see it? Look at the pendulum!" Catelyn handed over, the pendant she held in her hand, one of her 'two', the only evidence she had to prove her accusation.

"...I don't see anything..." Ned said, peering at the pendant for a few seconds.

"No there is, the Werewolf is made of platinum, whereas the trout in my House is made of silver! A lesser alloy you see? Another insult to belittle my House...and then look, look closely...you see these features...they are more defined on this side of the pendant..." Catelyn.

".....Cat...the symbol of House Tully is a 'silver' Trout on a blue and red background..." Said Ned as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"That's not the point Ned!!! No, wait listen to this! The perfume, smell it yourself and tell me what you smell!" Catelyn hastily uncorked the bottle and handed it to her husband.

"Cat..." Ned tried to sniff... but he really couldn't tell the difference between that and the other fragrance... he'd lived his whole life in the smells of the North... he appreciated the true smell of a woman, instead of false smells that hid her own from you...

"No! Wait! It smells like mud and fish, Ned! Fish! That was meant to insult me!" Catelyn tried to speak faster and with more conviction in her voice.

"Cat..." Ned.

"No, Ned there's more to it than that! When that 'monster' offered to look after Robb and Jon, he did nothing but belittle Robb! He praised 'bastard Jon' as if he was the rightful heir and he gave Robb meager compliments! He did it on purpose because he knew I'd lose it seeing him!"....that was the final stab in poor Ned's heart....now something about that whole thing made sense...

' She lost control when Helman's son praised Jon...' Thought the man with a deep sadness and disappointment inside him.

His wife continued to speak...but the man could no longer hear a single word...

"Stop it Cat! Stop your words...I don't need to hear any more." Ned.

"Trust me, Ned. That boy is a threat to our family! He...." Catelyn interrupted as she saw Ned's raised hand and his angry gaze.

Ned, stared silently at the Lady of Winterfell for a few seconds and then said:

"I had hoped that this Jon thing would settle down in time...but today...today I realised that day will never come...I'll have to raise that boy alone." Ned sighed for a moment and then continued:

"As long as the Tallharts are guests here in Winterfell, you will not be allowed to leave these rooms. The handmaids will see to everything you need. From this point forward, until I command otherwise, you will have no authority over the political and managerial affairs of the castle or the people who inhabit it. You shall be called 'The Lady of Winterfell' and you may order your servants to do what concerns your care and well-being... but NOTHING ELSE. And above all... you will never again have any authority or say over Jon. If you do not enjoy his company in a particular place, YOU and only YOU will have to leave that place from now on. You are henceforth 'forbidden' to address anyone in the Seven Kingdoms as 'Bastard'. If I ever hear you say that word again...may the gods forgive me...I swear, I will respond the way the man I promised myself I would never become would respond..."

At that moment, Catelyn Stark felt herself being swallowed up by a huge chasm...the world beneath her feet collapsed. She was silent in front of those words... she felt feelings of fear, confusion, anxiety, disbelief and despair... she couldn't move, let alone speak.

"I will have a raven delivered to Benjen... When I leave for Torrhen's Square, he will be in charge during my absence. I will take both Robb and Jon with me. That is all..." Eddard turned and headed for the door.

'Now if you will excuse me, my lady wife. I must go and find a way to undo the damage you have caused to the honour of my house." Ned concluded as he left the room.

End POV.

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POV: Helman Tallhart;

Winterfell.

That same evening...

It was late in the evening when Helman emerged from his room. He had asked a couple of Starks guards for instructions to visit Lord Stark.

On the way, he thought back to the events of that afternoon...

My son was right, things have gone as he predicted...' Thought the father of the boy seer.

Helman had been anxious for more than two weeks, ever since his son had explained to him, how he wanted to act towards the Starks...

Even after hearing his reasons regarding the 'dangerousness of the Lady of Wintelfell', he was extremely reluctant to go ahead with the plan...but after seeing Catelyn Stark's reaction to his son's 'hidden provocations', even he was convinced that this was the best course of action.

'Catelyn Stark is a threat, she must have no influence on the decisions of the North...for the good of all.' Helman concluded inwardly.

The two guards escorted him in front of the doors to his private study.

Fortunately Lord Stark was still awake and in full activity.

The young captain of the guards, Jory Cassel, knocked on his lord's door.

"Yes, Jory?" Ned.

"Lord Helman Tallhart, my lord." Jory.

"COME IN!" Ned.

"Please, my lord." Jory opened the door to let the visitor in.

"Thank you, Captain." Helman entered.

"Lord Stark, I apologize for the late hour. I wanted to ask you, if you could have a word with me, my lord." Helman asked, giving a polite bow, towards the man in front of him already standing to receive him.

"Please, Lord Helman, have a seat. You are more than welcome, go ahead and speak, my lord. I really cannot apologise enough for the events of today. I hope your son Duncan is feeling better." Said Ned hastily.

"Thank you, my lord. My son is better, thank you for asking. Truly, my lord, I have come here specifically because of my son...well, since the boy thinks he has done wrong in some way...well, he would like to offer his apologies to you and to Lady Catelyn...but I would...I would rather have your opinion first, my lord. My son...is a little confused about the subject and frankly, I wouldn't know what answer to give him." Said Helman showing a slight tone of embarrassment.

"Lord Helman, I assure you that you and your son have nothing, and I mean nothing to apologize for. The fault is ours alone, my Lord. It is I who should go to the boy to bow at his feet and beg his forgiveness. House Stark has broken the laws of hospitality, insulted the name of your house and even threatened you at his table... I only hope that we can find a way to make amends and forget this ugly affair. Said Ned in a humble, contrite tone.

"I assure you, my lord, that we too only want to pretend that this 'affair' never happened. I have already personally gone and spoken to every man or woman in my service present in the castle. I swear to you this will never be spoken of outside this castle, my lord. Not from House Tallhart." Helman.

"I....I do not know how to thank you, Lord Helman, I mean it. Know, my lord, that I personally punished my wife's unworthy behaviour only a short time ago. Never again will such an event occur. I swear it by the name of my ancestors, may the Old Gods bear witness." Said Eddard as he stood, giving a deep bow to thank his bannerman for his noble gesture.

"Please, my lord. There is no need to go to such lengths, it is already water under the bridge by now, let us move forward and not look back on this matter." Helman concluded.

"Thank you, my Lord. Please tell me what House Stark could do to repay such generosity. Before you can refuse, Lord Helman, know that I insist." Ned.

"....I understand...in that case, my lord, there would be something I would like to discuss with you. It is still a rough idea, but still an idea." Helman.

End POV.

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POV: Master Zick;

Torrhen's Square.

Ten days after a Lady was stripped of her authority and influence.

Zick stood outside the gate, near the pavilions that were still being set up. The arena, for the horse joust, was the first to be completed. Both the wooden pavilions for the nobility and the stands for the common people were already completed.

For about a month and a half, Zick had been training the son of his late first representative Tom. Peter was training in tournament jousting under his supervision. His 'protg' had come some time ago with Peter. They both knelt at his feet to ask for his help... Zick accepted without thinking. Now, he also considered Peter as ''his pupil''...

''No, no! How many times do I have to tell you? The horse is part of you and you are part of the horse. You are one being!" Said Cohollo, the Dothraki and Zick's travelling companion.

"I beg your pardon, Master Cohollo!" Peter replied, getting up from the ground. He had just been unhorsed, for the 300th time in a row, by Galladon Sand, Zick's fellow spear master.

"Still keep your arm stiff when you grip the spear, Peter. Remember, tighten your grip on your hand as if you were holding a sparrow. 'Not too hard to hurt it, nor too weak to let it slip away', just a second before impact, you'll need to grip it with your full grip." Explained Galladon trotting to the twenty year old boy's side.

"YES, MASTER GALLADON! Thank you for your guidance masters!" The sand covered boy bowed for the umpteenth time.

'Ahahaha!....'He staggers but doesn't give up'.....he should be able to be ready in time...'

At one point, a white-haired child reached Zick's side.

"Master, Zick!" Said Duncan as he bowed.

'Good morning, young lord. What can this frail old man do for you?" Zick asked with a smile on his face.

"I wanted to know, how the training of our 'Champion' was progressing. Will he make it to the final confrontation?" Duncan asked, staring at Tom's son less than 50 feet away from him.

"I would say so. Peter is still raw in many ways...but he's tempering himself well. If the level of competition in the jousting isn't too high, I'm confident the boy can pull it off." Zick.

"Phew!! Thank goodness, Master. Perhaps, the fate of the North, will depend on it..." Duncan said, sighing a breath of relief.

"Ahahahah! I can't wait to find out, the 'why you want the boy to make it to the final confrontation'. I must admit, here in Torrhen's Square, it's never boring! Hahahahaha!" Zick.

"Thanks again for your help, Master Zick! We will always be in your debt. Now if you'll excuse me, master. I'll go give our 'Champion' a couple of cheers." Said Duncan bowing.

"Of course, go ahead boy." Zick.

Zick, carefully watched the movements of the boy's body as he made his way towards Peter.

'No...it's not time yet...his body isn't developed enough. Not long now...the fruit will soon be ripe. At that moment we will start the final phase...' Zick thought with a great expectation inside himself. Every part of his body, was bursting with happiness and joy.

'I'm sure of it...He will be able to make it!' After thinking that, Zick couldn't stop himself from saying....

"I finally found him, father."