Chapter One

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Tourney Swords and Direwolves

  The Stark boys, excluding Rickon, watched as a man was being prepared for his execution. The man had been a deserter of the Night's Watch and the only fair punishment for such a crime was death.

  They were accompanied by a dozen members of their household guard, including Theon Greyjoy. All of which were on horseback. Over their heads, the Stark banner waves in the wind. A grey direwolf racing across an ice-white field of snow.

 South of the Wall, the grass was still green and the sun was shining brightly, but the air was cold enough to cloud the breath of four guardsmen as they escorted the deserter towards the massive stump of a massive oak tree.
 
  The oldest of the Stark boys is Robb. He is heir to Winterfell and notoriously the best swordsman among the brothers. He has short curly have that had been combed by his mother's request.

  The second oldest is Donner. He has witnessed multiple executions as he normally joined his father and the house guard. Donner had nearly shoulder length hair that was brown as most of their family had.

  Jon Snow, the Bastard had accompanied them after his father brought him home. He was hated by Catelyn and Sansa. Robb merely put up with him. The rest of the Stark children were quite fond of the boy.

  The youngest of the Starks to watch the execution was Brandon, commonly called Bran. It was his first execution. Their father had decided it was time for his son to see what it took to swing the sword.

  Lord Eddard Stark waits with his longsword in his hands, watching as his sons sit on their own horses.

  Two of the guardsmen force the deserter's head onto the stump. Ned walks over to the stump with his sword sheathed. He speaks to the deserter in low tones that confuse Donner.

  Soon the Stark children dismount their horses, preparing for the sight they're about to witness. Bran watches from afar, his head cocked slightly in an attempt to make out what the deserter is saying, but hears nothing.

  Donner could see that something in Ned's eyes changed drastically after the man said his final words. An expression of worry is quickly covered up as his father unsheathes his sword, “In the name of Robert of the House Baratheon, the First of his Name--”

  While Ned delivers the formal sentence to the condemned man, Jon moves closer to Bran and whispers, “Keep the pony in hand. And don’t look away. Father will know if you do.”

  Donner listener as his father continued the sentence, "King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm. I, Eddard of the House Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, sentence you to die.”

  Ned lifts the Stark Valyrian steel sword, Ice, high above his head and brings it down harshly. Blood sprays the swaying grass. The deserters head topples off the stump, bounces off a root, and rolls. When Ned's back is turned, Theon puts his boot on the head and kicks it away, laughing.

 Donner and Jon watch this with disgust but say nothing. Jon turns and grips Bran’s shoulder, “You did well.”

 Donner nodded in agreement, “I'm proud of you, brother.”

 As the rode home, the three eldest boys were caught up in a conversation about the deserter, “I thought he was brave.” Jon said as he held onto his horse's reins loosely

 Robb scoffed, “Brave? He was dead of fear. You could see it in his eyes.” On one hand, Robb was correct, the man was scared to die, but somewhere, somehow, Donner knew that the deserter had seen worse than death.

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