Chapter 48 - Changes
We finished rebuilding and decorating the keep a couple of days later. We also made some simple furniture like beds, tables and chairs. Once the heavy lifting was done, I knew I had to establish a strict routine. I needed to divide the daily duties and time among our group so nobody would sit around wasting time or growing idle.
This new schedule was especially designed for Viserys. Up until now, he was the only one who hadn't lifted a single finger. Instead, he spent his entire day daydreaming about the throne that he was not fated to get. To snap him out of it, I handed him a heavy wooden sword and a set of weights. I mapped out a rigorous physical training plan for him.
I decided he would split his training time fighting Emma and Val. Both women offered completely different styles of combat, operating in entirely different dimensions.
Emma was a professional. She was trained in both front-line warfare and the art of silent assassination, utilizing a massive arsenal of weapons. She could teach him precision, form, and tactical awareness.
Val, on the other hand, was a wildling, the Free Folk. She knew absolutely nothing about formal stances, knights or clean honourable fighting styles. Val only knew how to kill a target as efficiently and safely as possible. She would do absolutely anything, whether it was clean or dirty, to bring her target down and achieve her goal.
I wasn't a knight myself and I didn't have any formal knightly training, so I couldn't teach him how to hold himself like a Southron lord. But true knightly training could come later. First, Viserys needed to bulk up. He had to build up his terrible stamina and strengthen his core. He needed enough muscle mass just to lift a real steel sword and swing it properly, rather than being a piece of dead weight in a real fight.
Predictably, Viserys threw a massive tantrum. He whined that manual labour and exhausting physical exercises were not the duties of a rightful king. I didn't bother arguing with him. Instead, I simply denied him food. After a single day of starving, his royal pride broke. He fell right into line and started working through the physical regimen I had laid out.
Daenerys was learning a few things too. The three girls took her under their wing, starting with teaching her how to identify herbs and how the herbs worked. She was also doing simple exercises to keep her growing body strong and healthy. Since she was still young and developing, I didn't want her doing brutal, bone-breaking workouts.
However, starting with light physical conditioning was vital. I refused to let her become entirely dependent on us or her future dragons. If assassins ever breached our lines or if she found herself cornered by a couple of thugs, she needed to be fully capable of defending her own life.
With the training underway, I handed the food procurement duties over to Leaf. Her deep connection to nature made her perfect for the job. She could effortlessly gather wild fruits, fresh vegetables and edible goods from the surrounding forest. This meant I no longer had to constantly pull raw ingredients from my HOT, though I still supplied the group with baked bread.
With everything running smoothly at the keep, it was finally time for me to return to Winterfell.
I used my teleportation ability, targeting the heart tree inside the Winterfell Godswood. I chose this specific spot because it was completely secure. The only beings who hang around the deep Godswood were the Children of the Forest, Lord Stark and his children. Others were barred from the area. It was the perfect safe zone where nobody would spot me materialising out of thin air and freak out.
When I stepped into the clearing, the sheer visual transformation of the Godswood stopped me in my tracks. It looked much different. The Starks are descendants of the First Men. Though they still honour the Old Gods and tend to the weirwood, centuries had passed and much of the knowledge was lost. It meant they had forgotten the true ways to care for these sacred groves.
Now, the changes were striking. The grass was vibrant and thick. The surrounding trees looked healthier and full of life. Most surprisingly, several new, young weirwood trees were sprouting up around the Godswood with the ancient heart tree as the centre.
While they weren't as massive as the central tree yet, they were growing at an unbelievable rate. It looked as though they had been thriving there for decades, even though only a few months had passed since the Children arrived.
The moment I materialized, the nearby Children of the Forest jolted in surprise. They raised their guards, alarmed by my sudden appearance. But as soon as their eyes focused on me, they relaxed and lowered their weapons.
A few of the elders stepped forward to greet me in their ancient tongue and I warmly returned the gesture. I asked them how they were adjusting to their new lives.
Smiles broke across their faces. They told me they were incredibly happy to be back in the North. Living out in the open, breathing the fresh air of a forest like the Wolfswood, was a feeling they hadn't experienced in centuries.
For generations, they had lived in dark, hidden caverns, constantly fleeing from the bitter cold of the Long Night, the terrifying armies of the Night King and the destructive expansion of mortal men. Now, they finally felt safe.
I then asked how their integration with the winter town residents and the Stark soldiers was progressing.
The elders proudly informed me that they had started treating the sick and wounded among the soldiers and townspeople. Their remedies, pastes and medicines were performing miracles, proving to be vastly more effective than anything the castle maesters could ever brew.
After confirming that the Children were doing well, I stepped out of the Godswood. The guards posted at the entrance startled at my sudden appearance. Fortunately, these were the same men who had guarded the grove during my last visit, so they didn't panic or draw their steel. I offered them a brief nod and asked where I could find Lord Stark. They informed me he was likely in his solar or down in the training yard.
Thanking them, I made my way into the heart of the fortress. As I walked through the keep, chatter died down. People stopped in their tracks, offering respectful bows and warm greetings.
Rumours had been travelling through the North for months. Everyone was talking about the mysterious man who had brought great changes to their land like bringing the Wildlings and Giants peacefully over the Wall and settling the mythical Children of the Forest right in their backyard.
The people of Winterfell were the first to witness these massive changes first-hand. The goodwill was palpable. It proved a universal truth that offering medical care is the absolute fastest way to integrate into a strange, wary community.
There is never a shortage of sick, injured or broken people. When you heal even a single person, you earn the loyalty of their entire family, their friends, their colleagues and their neighbours. Thanks to the Children's miraculous remedies, almost every soul in Winterfell had been touched by their magic, either directly or indirectly.
Word of my arrival spread like wildfire. Before I even reached the training yard, Ned Stark had already been notified. I saw his massive frame exiting the yard, wiping sweat from his brow.
His face broke into a rare, genuine smile.
"Matt," he greeted, stepping forward. "It has been a long time. Where have you been?"
"Greetings, Lord Stark," I replied. "Indeed it has been some moons. I have been traveling far to the east."
"Have your travels finally concluded, then?" he asked.
"Not quite. Its just paused. There are urgent matters that require my attention here."
Ned nodded gravely. "Come to my solar. We will speak in private."
He led the way, with Ser Rodrik Cassel and a small contingent of household guards trailing closely behind us. However, once we reached the heavy oak doors, the guards took their posts outside. Only Ned and I stepped into the room.
Ned took his seat behind the massive desk, the very seat where his father, Rickard and centuries of Stark lords had sat before him. He leaned back, fixing me with a steady gaze.
"So, Matt. What brings you back to Winterfell in the middle of your journey?"
"It has been nearly six months, Lord Stark. It is time to convene the Northern Council."
Ned raised his eyebrows in sharp surprise, the realization hitting him that he had almost lost track of the date.
---
End of Chapter 48 - Changes