Game of Thrones: King of Magic

Chapter 8

Eddard Stark. Winterfell.

I stood in the crypt and stared at the statue of Lyanna, remembering what had happened in the last year and a half.

Solomon's arrival had been a boon to Winterfell. Especially for the Stark family.

Every member of the family has taken a liking to him. And my children adored him. It wasn't just his looks and kindness, but the stories he told. They were exciting, fascinating, and sometimes - funny and confusing. But the most important thing followed them when Solomon asked for their opinions about them.

He made them ponder and come to conclusions they would not have come to for a long time. He was making them...mature while still retaining their childlike enthusiasm.

I saw with my own eyes how their view of the world and their actions changed. But the most important lesson they learned was to be themselves, not like someone else. Solomon made them seek their own path in life. Which I'm so glad they did.

Robb was especially affected. As heir to Winterfell, he'll have a huge burden on his shoulders, and a lot of people's lives will depend on his decisions. But he tried to emulate me time and time again. He tried to be me. Now, Robb was different. He wasn't trying to remember my every action, he was analyzing them, evaluating them from the outside. Which made me proud.

Sansa has obviously fallen in love with Solomon. I'm not surprised. His looks and character kind of lend themselves to that. And because of the story, she listened with half an ear, admiring his face, but she listened nonetheless. She realized that the world wasn't as beautiful as she'd thought it was before. And drop by drop her naivety evaporated, revealing to her a truer picture. Now Sansa devotes her time not only to lady etiquette and embroidery, but also to politics and its intricacies. I even saw her ask Kat something once and scrutinize her reaction to her words, i.e. facial expressions and body language.

Arya and Bran just marveled at the stories and outwardly showed no change. But they are changing. That much I'm sure of. And Rickon is still too young for all of this.

Solomon was also able to affect Cat in the same way. Her discontent with Jon didn't disappear, but it subsided. She no longer looked at him as a "fruit of sin" that should be gotten rid of immediately, but simply as an unpleasant boy, causing a slight undercurrent of dislike.

And Jon... Jon saw Solomon as a King. A king and a father. If he had a problem, he turned to him for help first, which made me a little jealous. But I was happy for Jon. He had found in the figure of Solomon the father he had never seen.

The next moment my hearing caught footsteps in my direction. And they belonged to Sir Rodrik, who appeared in the crypt a few seconds later.

- "Lord Stark," he greeted me and bowed slightly, "I think you'll be interested in the news."

- "News? What is it, Sir Rodrik?"

- "A woman, a Red Priestess by the way she was dressed, visited the castle. And she was looking for Lord Solomon."

- "The Red Priestess? Why would she be looking for him? Especially here in the North.

That's very strange. In the lands of Westeros, the Red Faith isn't exactly widespread. The only region it dominates is Dragonstone, ruled by Stannis Baratheon. And that's where the only Red priestess I know of was stationed."

- "I have no idea, My Lord. But you'll be interested to hear what she called Lord Solomon. And from the look on his face when he heard them, she was never wrong."

- "Оh?" I marveled and was intrigued, "So what did she call him?"

- "If memory serves me correctly... King of Magic...."