One day during this long-lasting summer, Robert Baratheon, King of the Seven Kingdoms, arrived at Winterfell in the North.
Robb, his features carefully groomed, his hair neatly combed, dressed in nobleman's clothes and wearing a black cloak, watched his father and the king walk shoulder to shoulder toward the Crypts. An inexplicable chill lurked in his eyes.
Hm?
Out of 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 blossomed into a kindly smile, and she stepped gracefully toward him.
"Your Majesty!"
Robb bowed respectfully in greeting.
Cersei waved for him to rise, then looked him up and down before speaking gently. "All along the journey, I've heard tales of the Young Wolf Lord. Now that I've finally met you, I can tell you'll surely become an outstanding lord."
"Thank you for the praise, Your Majesty. But I only followed the Winterfell army and watched them hunt down some Wildlings.
"That nickname was made up at random by ignorant commoners."
Robb answered with a smile, neither servile nor arrogant.
"Is that so?"
At Robb's answer, Cersei raised an eyebrow and said no more.
She summoned Myrcella and Tommen, the two siblings, and headed toward the Main Keep.
Joffrey, his face dark, followed close behind with The Hound. As he passed Robb, he gave a crooked grin. "I hear you're good with a sword. I happen to be one of the best swordsmen in King's Landing. How about a little spar sometime?"
"Of course. It would be my honor to cross swords with Your Highness!"
Robb, who had already been irritated by Sansa casting Joffrey flirtatious glances, accepted at once.
"Excellent!"
Joffrey clapped his hands happily, his gloom instantly replaced by a beaming smile as he headed for the Main Keep, as though victory in their bout were already assured.
The expressionless Hound followed without looking aside, diligently carrying out his duty to guard the prince.
Jaime, standing some distance away, saw that Cersei and Joffrey had both entered the Main Keep. He glanced at Robb, then turned to find his brother, who liked to inspect the work of prostitutes.
"Robb, they're not good people. But their status makes things complicated, so you..."
Catelyn, who had been silent until then, rested a hand on Robb's elbow, seeming unsure what to say.
"Mother, don't worry. I know what I'm doing!"
Robb smiled and patted the back of Catelyn's hand reassuringly.
Then he turned to meet Theon's gaze and tilted his head toward the direction Jaime had gone.
Theon understood immediately. He nodded, then quietly slipped away from Winterfell's welcoming party.
Jon watched it all but made no move and showed no reaction. He simply stood there in silence, posture straight.
"Hahaha, you were just as clueless about romance back then."
"That's right, Your Majesty is the one who knows all about romance. The Eyrie still has plenty of tales about your amorous adventures."
"Hey, are you using old embarrassing stories to get at me again?"
The two portly heroes of old emerged from the Crypts, laughing about the past. As soon as everyone saw them, they hurriedly bowed their heads in respect.
Catelyn and Robb also composed themselves and greeted them with smiles.
"I was in such a hurry to pay my respects in the Crypts that I haven't had a proper look at your children yet."
Standing in front of Robb and the others, Robert said to Eddard with a smile, then turned first to Robb.
"Let me have a look. Ho, is this the Young Wolf Lord? Very good, a strong and capable warrior.
"When we were still at the Inn at the Crossroads, we heard he'd defeated Wildlings despite being badly outnumbered. By the way, where's that bloodthirsty Direwolf of yours that eats Wildlings alive?"
Hearing the ridiculous rumors Robert had repeated, Robb gave a wry smile. "Your Majesty, those are just made-up rumors. Please don't take them seriously. Blood Wind is upstairs. If you'd like to see him, I'll call him down."
"I do! I came all the way to the North. Of course I want to see such an interesting Direwolf!"
From Robert's answer, Robb knew there was no getting out of satisfying his curiosity. He pursed his lips and gave a loud whistle. In truth, he was conveying his thoughts to Blood Wind.
Clang!
After they waited quietly for a few minutes, a huge gray shadow dropped from the wooden walkway on the second floor connecting to the Main Keep. Though enormous, it moved with effortless grace. It landed lightly on an ox cart with a thud, sprang to the ground, and darted toward Robert and Robb.
"Oh! What's that?"
"Gods!"
"Protect the king!"
The people of Winterfell were used to it, but the crowd from King's Landing cried out in alarm. Several guards rushed toward Robert, trying to protect the king.
"Get out of the way!"
Certain that there was no danger in his brother Eddard's Winterfell, Robert scowled and shouted at the guards.
Blood Wind came to a halt beside Robb, and only then could everyone get a good look at him.
Blood Wind had grown considerably again. His shoulder height had reached about 1.1 meters, and he was now as big as a half-grown colt.
His smooth gray fur rippled in the breeze. Two fangs jutted from his long muzzle like a pair of short daggers glinting with cold light.
His streamlined body was packed with strong muscles, and sharp claws tipped his long legs.
As soon as he appeared, everyone felt an intense pressure, as if they were being watched by an apex predator.
Blood Wind's intelligent eyes rested on the group from King's Landing, with a hint of amusement in them.
Robb knew perfectly well that the beast was deliberately trying to scare them. He reached out and gave Blood Wind a gentle, exasperated pat on the head.
Blood Wind, already intelligent enough to understand, immediately nuzzled his enormous head against Robb in an ingratiating way, while his fluffy tail began to wag from side to side.
In an instant, he went from predator to beggar.
"Excellent! What a magnificent, powerful Direwolf! The Young Wolf Lord's title is well deserved!"
Robert gazed at Blood Wind with undisguised affection and couldn't help praising him loudly.
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty!"
Robb smiled and nodded in response to Robert.
"Ned! Are there any Direwolves in the wild around Winterfell? I want to catch one... No, a whole pack to raise in King's Landing."
Robert's hunting instinct stirred. The more he looked at Blood Wind, the more he liked him. He turned to Eddard.
Hearing the king's fanciful suggestion, Eddard resisted the urge to roll his eyes before answering. "Direwolves have never been seen south of the Wall. These pups were the first I'd come across in all my years in the North.
"I don't think there's much chance of catching more, Your Majesty."
"Tch! Ned, you're as boring as ever!"
Robert waved a hand, his enthusiasm dampened, and dropped the subject. He continued asking, "I heard there were six pups in all. Were the other five as fierce as this one?"
"No, Your Majesty. The other five are about the size of ordinary wolves."
"Ah, that's no fun, then. I'm thirsty, Ned. Bring out your best wine."
"It's all ready, Your Majesty. This way, please!"
As Robert and Eddard entered Winterfell Main Keep, the steward and servants in Winterfell's welcoming party immediately bustled about, beginning to attend to the noble guests.
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