Game of Dragonborn.

Chapter 44 - The Winterfell Banquet 03.

[Chapter Size: 2000 Words.]

Third Person POV.
Winterfell.

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Finally, night had fallen over Winterfell, and the castle stood out even more against the backdrop of the evening, with all of Winter Town able to witness the semblance of yet another banquet being held within the Stark halls, something that had been happening frequently in recent weeks.

The torches were burning at full strength throughout the place, and for anyone looking toward the castle, it appeared as a beacon of noise, with the sound of people laughing and music echoing outside. Not everyone could attend the grand event, where only the Starks, the king, and other nobles were the main guests, but there were also people from the castle itself and acquaintances who could be present, in addition to the performers and people hired by the Stark family.

From a distance, even from Winter Town, one could see the commotion in the castle, and beyond the city, near the forest. At that very moment, a man emerged from the trees, observing the bright lights standing out against the darkness. He looked for a moment and quickly continued onward, approaching the town.

"Well, it seems I've finally arrived..." Jon commented calmly as he kept his steady pace, for he had arrived exactly as he had planned: in the middle of the banquet.

He pulled his hood up to hide his face as he advanced through the town. The people were much more active than he had expected, standing at the doors of their houses, talking, and even drinking, celebrating as well. There was a certain movement in the town, and Jon could hear many interesting things; apart from the people, there were also many southern guards around.

But none of them really stopped him, being more interested in trying to impress a prostitute than paying attention to the movement. It didn't take long for him to reach the edge of town near Winterfell, and just as he began to prepare for the castle, his luck ran out. A man in red soldier's attire approached him.

"Hey, you! State your name and your purpose for looking at the castle," he spoke in a direct and harsh tone.

"Can't I be curious about the Winterfell feast?" Jon asked.

"You're too suspicious for that. You'd better answer my question, or I'll throw you in a cell," he said with a threatening tone.

Jon raised an eyebrow at this. "You're not from the North. Why do you think you can speak like that here?" Jon asked, curious.

The man didn't seem to like that very much and quickly reached for his sword, raising it. "Listen here, smartass. It doesn't matter if I'm from the North or not. I serve the King and Queen, and I can kick anyone I want in these Seven Kingdoms, especially you northern savages, as I've been doing these past days," he spoke angrily.

Jon looked at him and gave a slight smile. "Oh, really? Well, let's see how you handle this," he simply said. Without further words, he lifted the man, who was taken by surprise, but before he could realize what was happening, his body was thrown against one of the walls in an alley nearby. After ensuring there was no one else around, Jon calmly continued on his way.

Thus, he made his way out of town, but as the road to the castle appeared, he could be seen, and he didn't want to be questioned with dozens of guards patrolling the castle walls. Clearly, with the king's presence, the security had to be very tight. So, before leaving the town, Jon used an invisibility spell to cross it without problems, passing by some guards at the gates without them noticing a ghost passing through.

He finally entered the castle after twelve years of not being there, as his invisibility faded away, and he was once again in the entrance courtyard of Winterfell, observing the place, feeling several memories surfacing in his mind at that moment of what his childhood was like in that place.