Snow Ghost [Jaime Lannister]

Chapter I. Winterfell

Narrator POV

A pair of ancient, gnarled hands writing a message on a small parchment scroll. The old man tightly rolls the scroll, binds it with a black ribbon, and ties it with a leather strip to the leg of a black raven.

The old man lifts the raven off his desk; it flaps its dark wings and flies out of the open chamber window. The raven flies away from Castle Black, a large and ancient fortress dwarfed by what lies behind it: the Wall. Older than history, this is the 800-foot-high barrier of ice and stone that guards the northern edge of the Seven Kingdoms.

As the raven gains altitude, the landscape below it transforms into a map of Westeros. Most of the area of Westeros is covered by a political entity known as the Seven Kingdoms, while the far north beyond the Wall includes the free folk. The closest foreign nations to Westeros are the Free Cities, a collection of independent city-states across the narrow sea in western Essos. To the south of Westeros lie the Summer Isles.

Occasionally the bird dips down, and the map resolves back into reality for just long enough to give us a view of some points of interest: Winterfell's old stone towers, full of cold beauty. The foreboding Eyrie castle high atop the Vale of Arryn, a feat of montane architecture that would have been impossible for medieval engineers. When the raven reaches King's Landing, the map resolves back into reality as the bird drops down into the dirty sprawl of the capital.

The raven flies through the open gates of the Red Keep, a massive compound with walls the color of fresh-spilled blood. The bird flies through an open window into the throne room, to land on the Iron Throne itself-- a throne built from the hammered swords of a thousand defeated enemies. The raven pecks at its wings, cleaning itself after the long journey, alone in the empty throne room.

Winterfell is a huge castle complex spanning several acres and encircled by two massive granite walls. There is a village outside, the winter town. Winterfell has been built around an ancient godswood and over natural hot springs. The water is piped through walls and chambers to heat them, making Winterfell more comfortable than other castles during the harsh northern winters.

Inside the walls, the complex is composed of dozens of courtyards and small open spaces. Weapons training and practice take place in those yards. The inner ward is a second, much older open space in the castle where archery practice takes place. It is located next to the broken tower.

At the crowded high table in the Great Hall, Ned speaks solemnly of the history of the King's Road, built by the First Men and maintained by the North. Lyanna wearing a plain grey dress and looking profoundly bored, interrupted him mid-sentence "Father," she said loudly, her clear voice cutting through the hall's low murmur "Why do we say the King's Road is maintained for the King? He lives a thousand leagues away. We maintain it so we can move our armies and our goods. Why do we bother with the pretense?" she asked.

Catelyn's face instantly went rigid with offense, her hand gripping Ned's arm under the table. A long silence fell over the hall "Eat, Lyanna"

Ned's grey eyes fixed on Lyanna not in anger, but in confusion and profound discomfort "Because honor requires we respect the symbols of the realm, Lyanna."

Lyanna merely shrugs picking at her meal "Symbols are cheap. I prefer reality." Passionate and poised, Lyanna possessed the strength and fire of true nobility. She was a true leader, from her ability to work under pressure to her skill of rallying her subjects.

Lyanna now is a fine woman remembering, Lyanna has milk-white skin, raven hair, brown eyes, and pink natural lips. Everyone talks about my beauty. she stands alone in her chamber, the dawn light pouring through the narrow window. She wore simple linen breeches and a dark tunic, her black hair braided tightly back. Lyanna never believed in fate, life can be stubborn in her since she was born. Life is full of surprises, she doesn't know if it's a coincidence what will happen next in her life.