Winter's Fire → Game of Thrones

lxv. Greywater Watch

The Neck. It was the swampy entrance to the North. I had only passed through it once before and that time I was taking the Kingsroad, so I saw very little of the lands. Not that I ever desired to see more.

Every step has to be taken with caution. There is quicksand, unstable land, and ponds everywhere. On top of that, there could be any number of Crannogmen surrounding me and I would have no idea. Whilst I am not an enemy of the Neck and the Crannogmen that live in the lands, they do not know that.

As a child, I heard a number of names for the Crannogmen. Frog-eaters, bog devils, mud dwellers, mud men... All names to remind them that they will never truly be part of the North in the eyes of most. Names that prove the Northerners and Southerners are not always so different in how we treat people.

I am not here to bridge that gap though. I am walking around the Neck like a blind fool in hopes of finding Greywater Watch to talk to my father's old friend, Lord Howland Reed. I am sure he is still an ally of House Stark and I could use his help in the future.

Finding Greywater Watch is the problem. The Crannogmen got that name because they live on crannogs, which is a man-made island of sorts that sits on logs and floats around in the swamp. They can be moved to be hidden, but they also tend to move by themselves due to the shifting of the swamp. Due to this, I know I am in the general area of Greywater Watch, but I have no idea how I am meant to find it.

Whilst finding Greywater Watch has proven to be infuriating and impossible so far, I am impressed by the way that they have hidden a whole castle. Crannogs in general are impressive. The idea of building castles and houses and whole towns on logs to live in an otherwise unliveable place is genius. I have not seen anything like it in all my travels. Not that I have seen the crannogs yet...

The swamp lands seem overgrown. There are large trees where I currently am, making everything quite dark. I have no choice but to walk slowly and lightly or I may fall into a swamp or get stuck in some kind of unstable land. It is no wonder they are able to hide so well in such a place.

Seeing how I was moving so slowly, I was also listening very closely. I swear I heard the slightest movement behind me. It slowly moved to my left, but then I could also hear movement to my right. I stopped and continued to listen.

Was it an animal? Multiple animals? Or had I finally found some of the Crannogmen?

Something whipped past my shoulder and impaled itself in a tree behind me. It was an arrow and clearly a warning shot. The Crannogmen are known for protecting their lands without being seen and they would have killed me with that arrow if they wanted to. But where had it actually come from?

Part of me was afraid. I knew I was scared because it was a feeling I rarely felt anymore. I was scared that I was not going to be able to stop myself from getting shot with an arrow that is undoubtedly poisoned. I was scared of dying in this dark, disgusting swamp before I get to return home.

At least having people fire a warning shot me meant I was close to something. That something should be Greywater Watch, or at least a town nearby with people who can show me the way to my destination. The situation did not have to be entirely scary.

"Wait!" I yelled, almost flinching at how loud my voice seemed against the eery quiet. "I am Lady Alessia Stark. I am looking for Greywater Watch to meet Lord Reed."

"How do we know you are who you say you are?" A man asked, stepping out of the shadows and revealing himself.

The man was short in stature, as many Crannogmen are. He was also carrying a three-pronged spear, meaning he was not the man who tried to shoot me. It meant that I could still get shot if I was not careful. I could also get stabbed by that intriguing spear.