(Game of Thrones) The Pale Khal

(1) What could go wrong

                                                                                 (RE-WRITEN)

It had been a day like any other, it must have been for I remember no dark clouds nor do I remember the servants whispers of a coming storm that always fill the hall in Winterfell before the next summer snow. So I conclude, that it must have been a perfectly average day, the occasional cloud perhaps, but still quite a normal day. However when I think about the day that forever changed my life I cannot picture the sun. I cannot picture the white clouds gliding across the windswept blue sky. I cannot even truly picture the colours of that day. I cannot remember the green of the leaves, nor the brown underbrush on the forrest floor. I cannot remember the snapping sound of broken twigs underneath our feet, not the soft padding of Ghost by my side, not the chirping of the forrest creatures that were surely there. I remember so few details of that day, yet I cannot forget it. It was the day my life changed. It was the day the Gods tore up my happy life and laughed at my despair. It was a perfectly normal day.........Or so it seemed to my brother when he insisted we go for a hunt.

"What could go wrong?" That was the argument that convinced me. Those four words changed my life and I rue them still to this day.

Robb and I were just six name days and to our young foolish minds it had seemed like a great idea. The plan had been to sneak out, go into the Wolfwood and simply kill a rabbit or two. Robb said he wanted a story to tell our father when he returned from fighting in the Greyjoy Rebellion. The thought of our father giving me one of his rare, proud smiles had me dragging Robb out the gates, small bows in hand.

Lord Eddard Stark was not a bad father, he loved all of his children deeply, even me. Even his bastard. But in my youth it was rare for me to get a purely proud smile from the man, not that he was not proud of me but rather all his glances towards me seemed tinged with sadness. So it was with thoughts of a proud father that Robb and I snuck out of Winterfell, with small bows and long knives. We were children, excited children because we were going on an adventure. We were going into the wild to kill a beast like a hero from a story with two direwolves at our feet. So we happily marched off to adventure...........and we immediately got lost.

It had started well enough. We found a giant stag, almost the size of a horse. it was a majestic thing, truly majestic, the type of beast we had dreamed about. Robb and I did not even exchange a glance. We both unstrung our bows, nocked our arrows then found, quite suddenly, that it takes a tremendous amount strength to draw back bowstring. Robb barely moved an inch and his arrow dropped limply to the floor. My bow had an entirely different issue. I drew back the string with all my strength and I found out that the bow I had chosen in our excitement was not, in fact, in good condition. For the string snapped and the nocked arrow spun rapidly out of control into the shrubs on my left.

We continue on, my embarrassing bow on my back while Robb continuously attempted to draw back the bowstring. Eventually we came to the conclusion that our stomping about had scared off all the wildlife, and with the threat of lurking wolves, we decided to return to Winterfell and not tell anyone about our failed outing. It was then we came yo another revelation. We were lost. Me and Robb had wandered carelessly into the woods, renowned for its predators, and now we were lost. Robb glanced around nervously, straining to hear the sound of wolves. We both cast a searching look to our Direwolf companions because we knew they would sense danger long before we did.

At this point my memory of this day becomes blurry again. I know me and Robb both turned suddenly, I know there must have been a sound to alert us, or else Greywind or Ghost had sensed the approaching figure and had warned us. It does not matter which had truly occurred, all we need to know is that Robb and I turned, fear seizing us. My hand was shaking, there was a tense muscle in my thigh and my stomach was doing flips. Ghost was snarling now, and it was his usual silent snarl. I remember noticing that Ghost was looking in an entirely different direction to where the shadowed figure came from, in the moment I dismissed the strange occurrence as fear surged through me however for years following this day I would think of it. I would think how my life could have changed if only I had trusted Ghost.