Hear me Roar - English version

CHAPTER 57 - That status has already brought me enough trouble

               From atop my mount, I remember King Robert's arrival at Winterfell seven years earlier. He had never travelled North since his ascension to the throne, and my father had never taken us to the capital, so we could only imagine what he looked like. Even though we knew perfectly well that he was no longer the young leader of the Rebellion, no one expected the heavy-set man who arrived in the castle courtyard that day.

               Daenerys looks nothing like him. She remains dignified, despite the wary glances of the Northmen we pass along the road. They will soon understand that she represents a considerable asset in the war against the Walkers, but for now, she is a stranger whom no one thinks they need. And I fear she will become one again once the enemy is defeated.

               I also remember my dress, in the colours of Houses Stark and Baratheon, and Joffrey's envious eyes. Today, I wear trousers and I no longer hide any of my blades. I sport Lightbringer at my waist, but I haven't gotten rid of Widow's Wail because of it. I am looking for a man worthy of wielding it to bequeath it to him before the battle begins.

               Finally, I set foot in the courtyard of Winterfell. Sansa barely looks at me; her attention is focused on Daenerys. Mine, however, is fixed on Bran. The last time I saw my little brother, he was in a deep coma that Maester Luwin believed he would never wake from.

"Brandon!"

               When my hand touches Bran's hair, a shiver runs through my entire body, the air is violently forced from my lungs, and...

               Ash. Wherever I look, I see nothing but ash. I turn around, only to realize that I know this place. Above the rubble rise swirls of smoke, and even higher, a clear, blue sky, darkened only by the massive wings of a dragon.

"Bran?" I call out.

"I am no longer Bran," my little brother's now-deep voice replies. "Not really. I am the Three-Eyed Raven."

"What does that mean?"

"That I have seen everything, heard everything."

"And you saw... this?"

"I only know what has been, not what will be."

"Then why are we here...?"

"We are in your vision."

♐︎

               Evidently, the Lord of Light's plan does not end with the Night King. I must stay alive for what comes after. Or King's Landing will be reduced to ruins.

               Arrow's rough tongue licks my face. I have missed her so much. I should never have left without her. And I promise myself I will never do it again.

"Hey there, beautiful," I say, leaning on her to pull myself up.

               Gathered around me are the various members of my family, as well as the Queen and Tyrion. I never thought I would see so many Starks in the same place again. So, for a few seconds, I forget the meaning of my vision. Until I meet Bran's gaze.

"Am I going to have to get rid of it?" my voice trembles.

"The day will come when you will have no choice."

"Do you always speak in riddles?"

               There is something in that tone of voice that feels familiar to me, like a distant memory distorted by time. Pushing her way through the crowd, Arya appears and holds out her hand to me. She, too, has had to fight to survive; it shows on her face.