House of the wolf

2 years passed and I had learned how to track, sneak, skin, butcher, and harvest every part of an animal Greg the hunter even taught me ice fishing and how to make fish jerky.

Which can last from 6 months to a year, and even though it smells and tastes bland, I can´t imagine a more convenient food for the travel bag if I ever need it.

Even though the food in the North is nourishing, at times I would be willing to empty our treasury to get more spices from Essos or even raid pirate ships just for the spices.

 

I have translated all the runes in the crypts and its a long incomplete sentence an oath or a prayer of some sort which tells me either I have not found all the runes in the tunnels or I have not found all the tunnels in the crypt.

 

Finally, after 2 years of searching and banging on every rock, it produced the same sound everywhere except for this little passage hidden deep in the tunnels where it sounds like the wall is not as thick as the rest.

 

But Father would probably execute me himself before he allows me to vandalize the crypt! “He who makes passes the sentence” would be the last thing I would hear in this world.

So I have been secretly slowly but surely trying to peel back the bricks in that passage and lo and behold as I peel back the last brick dead air hits my face from the other side I grin in excitement as I see a passage to another tunnel in the crypts.

 

I cover the hole back up and go away back to the castle thinking about the legends of Brandon the builder and the winter kings of old. As I´m on my way I see Jon walking out of the staples not with Robb as usual because he has been hanging out more with Theon and the older boys lately “Hey Jon lets go train in the yard” he looks at me with irritation seemingly in a foul mood

 

“Its always training with you! Do you do nothing else?” 

 

I look at Jon with amusement in my eyes as he is the most dutiful child I´ve ever met in my life! In both lives actually. I don´t count myself since I´m a special case. “What´s wrong did some people call you a bastard again?”

He frowns at me and yells “And what would you know about it?”

“Being a bastard? Nothing I suppose I know about as much as you would know about what it´s like being smallfolk. Did they call you that?”

 

Jon does not answer but by the look on his face it seems that´s the case “Look Jon they´re just jealous kids”

“Jealous? What could they be jealous of? Are you making fun of too” he asks with a hurt expression.

 

“Making fun of you why would you say that? To the smallfolk, there is little difference between you and me.”

“You? A true-born Stark you think they see you as they see me! A bastard?” furious Jon retorts.

 

“To them, we´re both just spoiled brats who grew up inside Castle Jon.” He quieted down dumbstruck. “Now come on let's go I almost had you in our last dual let's train” As I run towards the yard Jon is silent for a bit then runs after me.

 

“...Almost had me! You're dreaming” He responds

 

While I grew a little taller than Jon I´m still 2 years younger and am not as hardy but slowly but surely I am making up the difference. But I´m not the only one training Jon and Robb have been training more seriously to avoid the fate of losing a duel to the little brother.

 

At the family dinner after having left 3 of my baby teeth in the yard and now struggling with my meal I sit next to Sansa and Catelyn with Arya on my lap. I eat tough meat to strengthen my jaw as Catelyn scolds me for eating like a savage.

But I do it anyway because there are no braces in this world so whatever helps reduce the chance of getting crooked teeth I´ll do what I must.

 

After dinner, I go to Ned in private and ask him to follow me to the crypts. “What did you ask me down here for?” 

 

“Father you know old Nan has been teaching me to speak and write in the old tongue”

 

“Yes, it made me very proud to see you take an interest in the old way and study it so seriously” 

 

“Well, Father you see this rune” I bring my torch close to the wall in some obscure area of the crypts. 

 

He looks at it in mild interest “Yes what of it? does say anything?” 

 

“Not on its own but scattered across the crypts there are runes like it in the old tongue and as I was looking for them to unearth what they say I came across something,” 

 

“You know I don´t want you running around the crypt it could be dangerous”

 

“I know this place like the back of my hand now there´s no danger”

“So, what did you find?”

I stopped in front of where I covered up the passage and took the brick to see where I had dug and you can see the entrance to a new tunnel.

 

“I found an entrance to a new tunnel and want your help and permission to dig out the passage so we can walk through and see what´s on the other side” 

 

 Ned looks at me with a chilly gaze “Looks like you did not ask permission to start your little project.” 

 

As I look at the ground sheepish I hear Ned sigh and say “Wait here” as he walks away. A few minutes later he comes back with tools to remove the bricks. “We will probably be at this for a while but I still expect you to wake same time tomorrow and follow your commitments!”

“Yes sir” I exclaim happy and excited to see what lies on the other side.

After an hour of hard work, we finally have the bricks cleared out and taken out of the way. We wait for a while for the wind to slowly blow air into the unearthed tunnel and then start walking in.

 

I start writing down any runes I see along the way while Ned stoically walks but his eyes fail to hide the curiosity as we walk further in and at the end of the tunnel we see a stone door with a handle that has a single rune above it that says library. 

 

I tell him what it says and hear him gasp before we open the stone door Ned hands me his trorch and uses both hands to pull the door open and after a minute of strenuous effort, the door opens enough for a person to get through. 

 

“Edwyn be very careful with your steps from here on out any item in this room is bound to be very old and fragile but also priceless to our house do you understand” 

I nod solemnly “I will be careful Father” As we walk into the room the first thing I notice is that the roots of the Godswood run along the lines of the roof of the room spreading around it like a dome. 

The room does not look much like a modern library but more like a huge study room with a large desk and chair at the end and large stone cupboards along the edges of the room.

 

In the cupboards, there are some paper books and to my disappointment, I realize that most of them are beyond repair as I walk closer to the desk I see there are object near it two large stone chests are on either side of the desk like. 

 

I try to open the one on the left and it takes all my strength to lift the lid but fail gasping for breath as I hear Ned chuckle “Maybe I should store the meet for our household in this chest for it fares much better in repelling you than the staff in our kitchen” 

 

As I give him a stink eye I make way for him to open it and with much effort he does when I look at what´s inside I feel thrilled the chest is full of stone tomes in the old tongue I can´t wait to translate them.