[Winterfell]
The halls of Winterfell were filled with panic. Servants ran through the corridors, searching every corner. Guards hurried to and fro, checking the walls, the gates, and even the crypts. But Bran was nowhere to be found.
Lady Catelyn sat in the great hall, her hands trembling. Her face was pale, her mind racing with fear. Robb stood beside her, his jaw clenched, trying to stay calm. Ser Rodrik Cassel and Theon stood across from them, their expressions grim.
"We have searched every room, every tower, even the godswood, my lady," Ser Rodrik said, shaking his head. "The boy is not here."
"Then where is he?" she asked with a trembling voice. "He wouldn't leave on his own. Someone must have taken him!" Catelyn knew that Bran was much different after that fever than she remembered, but no matter what, he wouldn't leave the castle on his own. At least that much Catelyn believed in.
Robb turned to Theon. "The gates—was there any sign of someone leaving?"
Theon frowned. "The guards say they saw no one leave, but…" He hesitated.
"But what?" Catelyn pressed.
Theon glanced at Ser Rodrik before speaking. "The Hound. He left Winterfell last night. His horse is missing, and the stables are also one pony less."
Silence filled the room. Robb's eyes narrowed in confusion. "The Hound?"
Ser Rodrik stroked his beard. "Aye. He said he was heading for the Wall. Been frustrated staying here. His wound wasn't completely healed, but he said he'd be leaving anyway. Seems like he did—without a word to anyone, just rode out before dawn."
Catelyn's face twisted with anger and fear. "Then he took Bran with him!" she whispered.
Robb shook his head, still uncertain. "Why would he take Bran? He's got no reason to..."
"Does it matter?" Catelyn snapped. "He was in Winterfell. He left the same night Bran disappeared. What more is needed to be said?" she all but shouted, definitely not thinking straight right now.
Ser Rodrik nodded slowly. "It does look suspicious, my lord. We have no other leads."
Robb clenched his fists. "Then we ride. If he took Bran, then the possibility is that he won't go to the Wall but send someone anyway. The rest will move south. We'll find Bran and bring him home," Robb said after a little silence, knowing that his mother was too emotional to think soundly right now. He'd have to act as the Lord of the North.
Catelyn grabbed his arm. "You must be careful. If the Lannisters are behind this, then this could be a trap." She remembered the letter she got from her sister, making her believe that the Lannisters were behind this.
Robb's face hardened. "Trap or not, we must act. I will not sit here while my brother is missing." He turned to Theon. "Gather the men. We'll ride immediately."
Catelyn closed her eyes, praying that they were not too late.
"And what if the Hound really took him? What if the Lannisters are really behind this?" Theon asked with anticipation.
"...Then they should be careful, because winter is coming for them."
---
Sandor let out a frustrated sigh. "Seven bloody hells… should have just let those wildlings rip you apart... sigh. Fine. I'll take you to the Wall," he grumbled, though he didn't want to do this brat's bidding. But he was truly cornered. Even taking the brat to Winterfell might not work since he could open his horse mouth and lie about being kidnapped. He had no other option but to take him to the Wall. "But don't think for a second that I'll carry you if you can't keep up."
Bran let out a breath of relief. "Thank you," he said.
The Hound rolled his eyes. "Don't thank me, boy. You just blackmailed me into this mess. Once we reach the Wall, you don't know me, and I don't know you. Is that understood?" He kicked at the snow, then glanced at Bran, to which the boy nodded with vigor.
"Now tell me—why in the seven hells would you leave a warm castle to wander into the frozen wasteland?"
Bran hesitated. He had told others about his dreams before, but none believed him—not even his family. But Sandor had saved his life. Maybe he'd believe?
"I see things," Bran admitted.
The Hound raised an eyebrow. "See things?"
"In my dreams," Bran explained. "A three-eyed raven comes to me. It wants me to follow it. I don't know why, but I feel… I feel like I have to."
Sandor scoffed. "You ran away because of a damn bird in your dreams?" Now he was wondering whether taking the boy was even a wise decision.
"It's more than that," Bran insisted. "I've read about the White Walkers. The dead rising, the Long Night. I think it's real. I think they're coming back."
The Hound snorted. "Again with those books. They are stories, you bloody brat."
Bran shook his head. "I don't think so. You didn't see. Back home, people are keeping this matter a secret, but I heard them..."
"Heard what?"
"The White Walkers, they exist," Bran responded.
Sandor was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "You Starks are all mad." He climbed onto his horse and motioned for Bran to follow. "Come on, then. Before I change my mind."
Bran climbed up behind him. The road to the Wall was long, but his journey had finally begun.
---
[King's Landing]
"Lord Horas Baratheon. Black of hair."
"Axel Baratheon. Black of hair."
"Lionel Baratheon. Black of hair."
"Steffon Baratheon. Black of hair."
"Robert Baratheon. Black of hair."
"Ronald Ba...?"
Ned Stark stopped. He was expecting Joffrey's name, which he found just before the name he had just read.
"Gold head." He read Joffrey's description and finally pieced things together. None of the Queen's children were legitimate heirs to the throne. All of them were bastards.
That's what Jon Arryn was trying to say—the seed is strong. Ned felt a headache coming on.
Before his mind started to wander, he went back to that name again.
"Ronald Baratheon, stillborn." He couldn't help but mutter to himself in incredulity.
He didn't even know Robert had another child, let alone a stillborn.
Whatever it was, though, now he knew what was going on. He had to act. He had to tell Robert. However, his honor said that he should not harm the Queen's bastard children. The children were innocent, after all.
But at the same time, he wondered whether he should even do it. After all, this could cause a war—a war that the Seven Kingdoms, and the North especially, could not afford right now.
"Sigh..."
xxx
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