He walked towards the main keep to visit the kitchens. It felt great not having to sneak around the castle anymore. The last time he was in the castle, he was still a stableboy. Back then, the servants of the castle didn't like him for his sneaky behavior.
But now, they bowed their heads to him.
He passed by the outer courtyard and headed to the castle's entrance.
"Stop right there! You!"
Huh?
Wylis was a bit shocked. The last time someone dared to shout towards him was a bunch of Bolton spies, whom he butchered later. He turned to see who this brave man was and… frowned hard.
"Lord Mormont, you need something?" He asked, eyeing Jorah from head to toe. Disheveled hair, wobbly feet, crumbled clothes.
"You... I won't let you-uh... Some piss-proud upstart... Who d'you think you are?! Dacey is a Mormont, not your whore."
Wylis walked closer to the so-called Lord of Bear Island. He towered over him, peering down. "You've the stench of wine."
"You don't belong here... y'hear me? First you crawled t'the Starks, then t'the King. Groveling all the way t'knighthood and lordship. Nev'r errrned… a bloody thing! Dacey's not going with you. I swore t'my father I wo—"
Pa!
Wylis slapped Jorah on the face, hard enough that the lip tore and bled. "If you have complaints, then fight like a man. Don't bitch like some sour maiden."
A crowd had started to gather. Catelyn had also arrived there; the servants and some guards of the castle watched from the sides.
Jorah spat blood and glared, drawing his sword. "N-not five years gone since y' took th' lordship. Gods... look at that rot—en arrogance. M'house stood for centuries. Proud blood. Fought wars beside King Torrhen, we did, and now... now you! You, yesterday born—"
"Brother! Enough!" Dacey arrived just then, furious, her own sword unsheathed. "It is my choice to ride with Lord Kaiser. I mean to be a warrior, and that road is mine to take."
"Warrior? Hah! Why, women on Bear Island are warriors. We've fought th' Ironborn alongside 'em..."
"No! What we have on Bear Island are broodmares allowed the rare use of steel. Don't be so taken by history, brother. It means little when blades meet. If they did, King Aerys would not have fallen to Lord Kaiser's strike."
That's right, girl. Tell him.
"Hah!" Jorah gave a scornful laugh. "You think he'll see you fitted for a knight's spurs?"
"..."
Jorah frowned when Dacey remained silent. "Don't... Don't be a bloody fool, Dacey. You're a woman. Doesn't matter what y' do, y'll neverrr be a knight."
"Says who?" Wylis shoved Dacey gently aside and stepped before her. "Your mind is smaller than I feared, Jorah. Aye, no woman has worn a knight's spurs before. Dacey shall be the first."
"You fill her head with false dreams! You're jus' as rotten as I expected! A lying, scheming... horseshit-shov—"
Scrrr!
Wylis finally drew his massive sword from his back and slapped its flat blade between Jorah's legs, on his balls. "If a cock alone earns a man his knighthood, then let us put it to the sword. I'll carve yours off and see whether you can still lift a blade. Gregor Clegane fought well enough after, so a cock can hardly be essential."
"Haaaa!"
Jorah tried to swing at Wylis.
Clank!
Wylis intercepted the incoming slash and slapped Jorah's blade away with his hand.
Bam!
At the same time, he swung his six-foot steel and smacked its flat side on Jorah's shoulder, knocking him onto the ground.
"Aye, I've no ancient line behind me. No proud name carried on banners. I earned every scar, every title, every scrap of honor with blood on my hands and mud beneath my boots. You mock not me, but every smallfolk soul that dares dream beyond their station. I proved to the realm that a man need not be born great to rise. If you cannot see that, then I pity Bear Island."
Finally, Wylis crouched beside Jorah, his right fist raised.
"When you wake, you'll beg pardon for this. You'll name it drunken rambling. Yet wine has a cruel habit of loosening the honest tongue. Tonight, you poured your rot before me, every foul thought nesting in that skull of yours. I would have you remember it come morning, so let me leave my mark."
Wylis grabbed Jorah's collar, lifted his head, and smashed a punch on his left eye.
Bam!
Hard and precise, he knocked the man out and also gifted him a blue eye.
No wonder you got exiled. A damn rotten seed from the very beginning.
Finally, Wylis got up, sheathed his sword, and turned his head to look upwards to the side, where the wooden bridge connected the inner keep to the outer. There, he noticed Eddard standing alone, just watching.
Wylis said nothing and looked at Catelyn instead. "Seems I have overstayed my welcome. I'll be departing come morning."
He looked at Dacey then.
"Write to Bear Island. Tell them every word Jorah said to me. I'll not have his vile tongue breeding misunderstandings between our two houses."
Dacey just nodded, not even bothering to help Jorah up. It was some Winterfell guards who helped the Mormont lord up and took him inside.
####
Just as Wylis had declared, he left Winterfell the very next morning after breaking the fast.
With him was his entire family and Lady Lyarra Stark, who had personally made the choice to travel, not leaving it up to Eddard. There were enough horses and spring suspension carriages for all of them. He'd brought along four of them already, alongside a few roofed carts for cargo, and extra horses, since he never planned to ask for any from Lord Stark.
Wylis rode at the front with Dacey riding right beside him. Behind was Benjen, and the male members of his family. It was a boring journey, and since two old women were traveling with them, they had to go slowly.
They crossed the White Knife and took the less busy road down the Hornwood lands. It took them three days just to reach that far. Each night, they made camp in some village or in an open field.
Wylis kept himself from 'sparring' with Dacey during those nights. Though they stole a few moments here and there to touch each other. The rest of the time, he spent with his family, Old Nan, and got to know Lyarra Stark better.
The woman was old now, with wrinkles on her face, though in a far better state than Old Nan. He could see the evidence of the beauty she once was, and the resemblance to Lyanna.
There wasn't much to know about Lyarra Stark. The woman wasn't interesting, and as the Lady of Winterfell, she played a very docile role as the simple wife of Rickard Stark. Though Wylis did get to learn that Lyanna was the result of incest. Turns out, Lyarra Stark was Rickard's first cousin, once removed, which meant she was from Rickard's parents' generation.
Well, my seed's going to fix years of incest then.
On the fourth day, Wylis had Magnus riding with him, as the boy sat in front of him on Caliburn's mighty neck, using his little hands to braid the mane while talking, not with Wylis but with the horse.
Often, Caliburn responded by braying, big huffs, or nodding of the head. Already, Wylis had learned that Caliburn's favorite color was some shade of red, his favorite fruit was an apple, and his favorite human was Wylis himself.
"D-Does…" Dacey speechlessly muttered from her horse. "Does it… understand us?"
"Aye, Caliburn's an intelligent boy. Probably the strongest and fastest horse in Westeros. I'll soon be getting quality mares to start a new line of horses with him."
"I don't believe you, my lord."
Wylis took that challenge. "Caliburn, if you understand me, flap your tongue out towards this fine beauty."
"Pffffffft!"
Caliburn did just that.
"..."
Dacey's jaw fell.
"If you understand me, scare her with a fake bite."
Right away, Caliburn stepped closer to Dacey's horse, eyes full of intelligent mischief, and then, he showed all his teeth. Dacey yelped when Caliburn launched his open maw on her thigh. But he never bit and moved away before Dacey's horse got spooked.
"H… How?!" Dacey exclaimed. "How did this happen?"
Wylis shrugged, watching Magnus hugging Calibun's neck. "No idea. We bonded well. He's been with me since the tourney. Marched through war and all the rot between with me. I suppose we both grew together."
But then, all of a sudden, Wylis was hit with a bored inspiration. He remembered a song from his old life. Those memories were rarely used now as he'd gotten used to this new life. But it was never forgotten.
"Cali, how about I sing you a song, boy?"
"Neighehe!"
"Alright." Wylis chuckled, but found the lack of a guitar annoying. "On the first part of the journey, I was…"
He began singing, trying his best to sound like the original singer, but his voice was naturally deep. And a whole year of shouting during the rebellion in his growing years had made it deeper.
"The first thing I met was a fly with a buzz… I've been through the desert on a horse with no name."
Signing that, Wylis looked forward to his upcoming southern visit. Caliburn was going to be with him, and they would pass through Westerlands, the grassy Reach, and parts of dry Dorne. The song really fit the theme of his and Caliburn's next adventure.
"Neighehe!"
"I know, I know, you got a name." Wylis patted the fur head and continued. "'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain… la, la…"
At that point, Wylis smacked Magnus on the head lightly, urging him to sing along. So, the father and son soon mixed their voices. Since Magnus didn't know the lyrics, the boy clapped in rhythm during those parts and only sang during the predictable la-la part.
"And the story it told of a river that flowed… You see I've been…"
At that moment, it seemed even Caliburn was enjoying it, as the big, bulky horse started to trot, clapping his hooves on the dirt but without picking up speed. That almost made it seem Caliburn was dancing.
Wylis laughed, grabbed Magnus, and settled the boy on his shoulders. The young boy cried in joy and sang along.
That whole scene was watched. Not just by his family, but also the guards of Ramsgate, and the heads that poked out of the carriage windows. Dacey was the closest and smiling dumbly with a flicker of happy tears in her eyes, like there was no evil in the world, and that life was good.
Perhaps that was what everyone felt watching Wylis, Magnus, and Caliburn goof around together.
It was hard to see that and imagine a tyrannical warrior undisputed in battle.
Even harder to imagine the legends the little boy on the shoulders would write for himself.
Clop! Clop! Clop!
"La… laaaa…" Magnus sang.
"After nine days, I let the horse run free…"
And the song continued.
####
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Advance chapters on [PATREON] are in long-form format. I have 12 long chapters of this story on P@treon. That's equal to 45-50 Webnovel chapters.
Check out Wylis X Elia & Wylis X Cersei NSFW art, and advance chapters at [email protected]/MrPlotThickens Or Subscribestar.adult/mrplotthickens
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