Through The Eyes of Winter

Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things

Next Chapter- Chapter 5- The Wolf and The Lion- 07/13/23

In Winterfell, Bran Stark has a nightmare in which he sees a raven with three eyes, sitting on one of the stone direwolves outside the doorway to the Stark crypts.

Bran twitched slightly at that memory. It was after all the first time the old raven, Daryn had tried to contact him.

He wakes up to find his direwolf Summer by his side. Theon Greyjoy summons Hodor,

The Stark children from the future smiled at seeing their old innocent friend well and alive in a sense again.

the castle's dim-witted stableboy, who can only say the word "Hodor", to help carry Bran down to the great hall, where Robb Stark is hosting a meeting with Tyrion Lannister and Yoren, both traveling down from the Wall to King's Landing together. Robb very pointedly offers hospitality to any man of the Watch, silently letting Tyrion know he is not invited to stay at Winterfell.

Catelyn sighs silently. Her oldest certainly had a good mix of the Southern and Northern temperaments.

When Bran arrives, Tyrion sympathizes with him for being a cripple, which annoys Bran, as does asking him if he likes to ride, but Tyrion simply says it is the truth, no less so for being a hard truth. He gives the Starks the design of a saddle which will allow Bran to ride even in his current state. He does it to repay Bran's half-brother's friendship and because he has a weakness for "cripples, bastards and broken things." Due to this kindness, Robb says he can stay, but Tyrion says he would prefer the brothel in town.

"Typical" Tywin said in disgust while Tyrion just smirked at him.

As he prepares to leave the castle, Theon comes to Tyrion and rather condescendingly sends him off, recommending the prostitute Ros at the brothel. Tyrion asks Theon why Lady Catelyn was not present to receive him and concludes that Catelyn is not in Winterfell. He also taunts Theon about how the son of the ferocious Balon Greyjoy has been reduced to playing lackey in Winterfell to his captors, which infuriates Theon, and gives him a coin, assuming that he has not already had sex with Ros.

"That was good" Jaime whispered to Tyrion whose smirk got bigger.

Samwell Tarly joins the new recruits at Castle Black.

Jon smiled at his best friend. Oh, how the scared fat kid had grown up to be a brave man of the watch.

At Castle Black, a new recruit for the Night's Watch has arrived: Samwell Tarly, the son of the famous Lord Randyll Tarly.

"He looks different from Lord Tarly's other son" Ned mused. "Combat doesn't suit him very well. He is more of a mind" Jon said softly. Ned nodded and watched his bastard son... no his nephew.

Samwell is fat, soft, and pampered, and in his first practice fight does dismally. Ser Alliser Thorne has no time for his weakness. He directs the other recruits to attack 'Ser Piggy', but Jon Snow finds this cruel and unfair, and takes pity on Sam and fends off the attackers. Thorne tries to turn it into a game, ordering three trainees to take on Sam's protector, but Jon nevertheless fends them all off.

Lyanna smiled proudly at her son on the screen.

Samwell is naive and self-deprecating, claiming to be a coward and craven, to Jon's astonishment. No one admits to being a coward, and Grenn says that they shouldn't even be seen talking to him. Sam joins Jon on the Wall for sentry duty, even though he says his eyesight is weak, he is afraid of heights, and can't take the cold. Jon asks why he joined the Night's Watch because he fears everything. Sam tells him that on his eighteenth name day his father offered him a choice. Sam was a man and his heir, but he was not skilled at combat, he was unworthy of his name and birthright. Samwell's father forced him to join the Night's Watch and told him that if he refused, he would arrange a "hunting trip" with his son in the woods, and implied that Sam would be killed in a way that looked accidental.