The King Arrives

298 Aegon's Conquest Calendar, the tenth year of Westeros's long summer.

On a certain day during this enduring summer, Robert Baratheon, King of the Seven Kingdoms, arrived at Winterfell in the North.

Robb, his face carefully groomed, hair combed, dressed in noble casual attire with a black cloak over his shoulders, watched his father and the king walking shoulder to shoulder toward the crypts, a chill of unknown origin lurking in his eyes.

Hmm?

From the corner of his eye, he noticed Cersei, standing beside his mother and speaking softly, sizing him up.

When Robb's gaze met Cersei's, her beautiful face bloomed with a kind smile as she gracefully stepped toward him.

"Your Majesty the Queen!"

Robb bowed respectfully in greeting.

Cersei waved a hand to dismiss the formality, scanning him from head to toe before speaking softly, "All along the journey, I've heard nothing but tales of the Young Wolf Lord. Now that I see you in person, I can tell you'll grow into an outstanding lord."

"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. But I merely followed the Winterfell army to witness their campaign against the Wildlings. That nickname was carelessly given by ignorant commoners."

Robb replied with a composed smile, neither humble nor arrogant.

"Is that so?"

Cersei raised an eyebrow at his answer but said no more.

She summoned Myrcella and Tommen, the siblings, and headed toward the Main Keep.

A sullen-faced Joffrey followed closely with the Hound in tow, but as he passed Robb, he smirked and said, "I hear you're skilled with a sword. Coincidentally, I'm considered a master swordsman in King's Landing. Care for a spar sometime?"

"As you command, Your Highness. It would be my honor to cross swords with you."

Robb, already irritated by Sansa's covert glances at Joffrey, agreed without hesitation.

"Excellent!"

Joffrey clapped his hands in delight, his gloom instantly lifting as he strode toward the Main Keep with a broad smile, as if the match was already won.

The Hound followed expressionlessly, eyes fixed ahead, dutifully fulfilling his role as the prince's protector.

Jaime, standing at a distance, watched Cersei and Joffrey enter the Main Keep, cast a glance at Robb, then turned to find his brother, who was likely busy inspecting the work of the local prostitutes.

"Robb, these people are no good, but their status is special. You..."

Catelyn, who had been silent beside him, placed a hand on Robb's elbow, hesitating.

"Mother, please rest assured. I have it under control."

Robb smiled, patting the back of Catelyn's hand to reassure her.

Then he turned to exchange a glance with Theon, who stood behind him, and tilted his head in the direction Jaime had gone.

Theon understood immediately, nodded, and quietly slipped away from Winterfell's welcoming party.

Jon saw everything but made no move, his expression unchanged, standing tall and silent.

"Haha, you were always so clueless about romance back then."

"Right, Your Majesty is the true expert on romance. The Eyrie still buzzes with tales of your exploits."

"Heh, you little bastard, bringing up old embarrassments again?"

The two once-heroic, now-portly men emerged from the crypts, laughing over old times. Everyone present quickly bowed their heads in respect.

Catelyn and Robb straightened their postures, smiling as they stepped forward to greet them.

"I was in such a rush to pay my respects in the crypts that I didn't get a proper look at your children."

Robert said to Eddard with a grin as he stopped before Robb and the others, then turned his attention to Robb.

"Let me see... Hah, so this is the Young Wolf Lord? Fine, a strong and sturdy warrior.

Back at the Inn at the Crossroads, we heard tales of how you crushed the Wildlings with fewer men. Oh, and what about that bloodthirsty direwolf of yours that eats Wildlings alive?"

Hearing the absurd rumors, Robb gave a wry smile and replied, "Your Majesty, those are just wild tales spread by the people. Please don't take them seriously. Blood Wind is upstairs. If you'd like to see him, I'll call him down."

"Of course I want to see him! I came all the way to the North—I'm not missing a direwolf that interesting!"

Knowing he couldn't deny the king's curiosity, Robb outwardly pursed his lips and let out a sharp whistle, but inwardly, he conveyed his intent to Blood Wind.

Bang!

After a few minutes of quiet waiting, a massive gray shadow dropped from the second-floor wooden corridor connected to the Main Keep. Despite its size, it moved with surprising lightness, landing on a cart with a thud before swiftly leaping to the ground and darting toward Robert and Robb.

"Oh! What is that?"

"Gods!"

"Protect the King!"

The Winterfell folk were unfazed, but the King's Landing crowd erupted in startled cries, and several guards rushed toward Robert to shield him.

"Get lost!"

Trusting that his brother Eddard's Winterfell posed no danger, Robert scowled and barked at the guards.

Blood Wind came to a halt beside Robb, and only then could everyone take in its full form.

The now much larger Blood Wind stood with a shoulder height of about 1.1 meters, his build already resembling that of a half-grown pony.

His gray wolf fur lay smooth and loose, rippling gently in the breeze. Two fangs jutted from his narrow wolfish maw like short daggers gleaming with cold light.

His streamlined body held robust muscle, and sharp, fierce wolf claws tipped his long, slender limbs.

When he appeared, every human present felt an intense pressure, as if being watched by an apex predator.

At that moment, Blood Wind's intelligent eyes fixed on the party from King's Landing, a hint of mockery flickering within them.

Robb naturally knew the beast was deliberately trying to scare people. He gave Blood Wind's head a light, exasperated pat.

Having already gained intelligence, Blood Wind immediately shifted to a fawning posture, shoving his massive wolf head into Robb's chest while his fluffy tail began wagging left and right.

In an instant, he transformed from predator to beggar.

"Excellent! What a magnificent, imposing Direwolf! The title Young Wolf Lord is well earned!"

Robert gazed at Blood Wind, his eyes full of fondness, and couldn't help but praise him loudly.

"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty!"

Robb heard this and smiled, nodding in return to Robert.

"Ned! Are there still Direwolves in the wilds around Winterfell? I want to catch one... no, catch a whole litter and bring them back to King's Landing to raise."

Struck by the thrill of the hunt, Robert grew more enamored with Blood Wind the longer he looked. He turned to Eddard and spoke.

Eddard listened to the King's fanciful words and suppressed the urge to roll his eyes as he replied, "No trace of a Direwolf has ever appeared south of the Wall. This litter of pups is the first I've encountered in all my years in the North.

If Your Majesty wishes to catch more, I think the chances are slim."

"Tch! Ned, you're still as dull as ever!"

Robert waved his hand, his interest dampened, and dropped the matter. He continued to ask, "I heard there were six pups in total. Are the other five as fierce as this one?"

"No, Your Majesty. The other five are about the size of an ordinary wild wolf."

"Ah, that's no fun. I'm thirsty, Ned. Bring out your family's good wine."

"It's already prepared, Your Majesty. This way, please!"

As Robert and Eddard entered the Winterfell Main Keep, the stewards and servants in the welcoming party from Winterfell immediately bustled into action, beginning to attend to these noble lords and ladies.