Chapter 4: Entry Three
Date: 298 After Landing, Spring
Dearest Peggy,
I must admit when I first laid eyes upon the Capital of the North, the Great Castle of Winterfell, I was awestruck. It is larger, more vast, than any of the castles I saw in Europe. A massive castle itself spans several acres, with two enormous walls and a village located just outside it called the "Winter Town." It was built around a small wooden area with a single large weirwood at its center, under which lays a natural hot springs whose water is piped through the walls to heat the various rooms and keep the complex comfortable in the face of harsh winter weather. There are dozens of courtyards and small open spaces for weapon training and various other duties.
And I just realized I am starting to sound like a debriefing report. Old habits I guess. As soon as I saw it I started to pick apart possible weaknesses and locate ways to sneak in, of which there are many that I could exploit with access to modern technology. Sadly, blasting caps and mortar fire is not modern here. Gunpowder isn't even known of, and the closest thing to it I can find of in the books would be something called "wildfire," but it is more like an oil from all accounts. Something that sticks to things and burns.
Benjen, a few others and myself arrived at Winterfell at a strange time. Robert Baratheon, the King of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, was visiting. Benjen explained that Eddard Stark, the "Lord of Winterfell," and the King were old friends. They had apparently been the driving force of a military campaign/rebellion against the Kingdom's previous ruler, and in their victory Robert took the throne. I think the facts say more about the nature of both men then they would expect, or altogether like, but I will keep my thoughts about that to myself for now.
With the King there, the whole Castle was wrapped up in the festivities. No less than five times did my red, white and blue uniform get me into trouble as one person of importance or another would ask if I was a jester of some kind. I would normally politely explain that I am actually a soldier, and then say I was from very far away as trying to explain the truth would be more trouble than it was worth, and that would be the end of it. But just after introducing me to Lord Eddard and King Robert, a blond boy approached us and started trying to make a scene. He kept trying to make me sing or dance for him, saying "you are dressed like entertainment, so entertain me!"
I admit, I wanted to slap that boy. But with me being a guest, and not know who the child belonged to, I just switched to speaking English and started to recite a new old mission reports until he grew annoyed and stomped away. It wasn't until later I learned that he was the Kings son. My restraint in dealing with the boy seemed to impress the King, but not nearly as much as my ability to drink him under the table.
The next morning I awoke just before the roosters, changed into some spare clothing provided to me while my uniform was washed, and ran a few laps around Winterfell. It surprised the guards on the wall to see me run past them a half dozen times, or maybe it was the fact they saw someone running who wasn't being chased. After I was done some of them took me aside and asked why I ran, but mostly they wanted to know HOW I could run after matching the King drink for drink. That the most powerful man in this nation is a well-known drunk is more than a little worrying.
Later that day, once more of the castle had recovered from the previous night, I was invited to join the Hunting Party with Lord Eddard and King Robert. While I am not adverse to hunting I don't really enjoy it as a sport, but turning down a King's request would be in bad manners. When we returned…well, let's just say I regretted my choice. Bran, Lord Starks second son, fell while climbing. If I had been here, I might have been able to catch him or do any number of other things to help, but instead that boy may never walk again. And in this world, that is almost as close to a death sentence as you can ask for. You can't farm, can't fight, can't fend for yourself. If he had been almost anyone else's child, he would have been killed.
I think that is what bothers me the most since I arrived here. The low cost of human life aside, it is the trivial way people are treated that seems to bother me more. While Lord Stark and his family seem to actually care for the people under their watch, which I approve, the King and his extended family seem to have zero regard for the well-being of others. In fact, some of them seem to delight in it. I understand that this isn't the United States, that I'm the outsider here who shouldn't get involved, but I can't help but feel I should do something with the gift Dr. Erskine gave me.
Ha. Even with such thoughts bothering me, I find small moments of hope for the future. As I write this, Arya Stark is in the courtyard training with a small shield that looks much like my own. There is even a small star etched roughly in the surface. She keeps trying to toss it like I do, the way I could always make it go where I want it to go or do what I want it to do. That the shield isn't shaped right for it, and too heavy for it, hasn't deterred her any. Her father asked if I would be interested in teaching her swordplay, and I agreed that I would do so for a time. I've only been doing it for a few weeks, but my skill is already considered expert so I guess teaching will be fun until I figure out what I want to do. And besides, the job pays.
She and about a half dozen others had watched me spar with "the Hound" in the training yard, and since then there has been a noticeable increase in respect towards me. I was told he never spars with anyone, and was surprised when he asked. My surprise was doubled when I realized the King's son, Joffery, was standing there with a smile while his bodyguard tried to swing his monster of a sword at me. It only took a few second to realize that the Hound was trying to kill me, and I found myself using the shield for its original purpose more than usual. That man is strong. Even so, I managed to walk away without a scratch. Clegane, the Hound, on the other hand left with a broken nose. Oddly, he had a small smile on his face when we separated. I think we was happy to find someone who could best him. The only person who didn't smile was Joffery, who again stomped away in frustration.
Well, in a few days it looks like I will be packing up and heading south with the King and their company. His original purpose for coming here was to ask for Lord Stark to take over as "Hand of the King," which is something like being Vice-President. Well, Eddard agreed and a large chunk of his family is going with him. Including the Arya whom I'm supposed to continue training.
I look forward to seeing the Capital of this Nation.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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