The Three-Eyed Crow's Invitation

Whoosh—

Space turned upside down, and time flowed backward.

After a wave of dizziness, Garon bent over, gasping heavily.

He clutched his pounding heart, his red eyes warily sweeping the area.

Within his field of vision, green fireflies drifted silently, like a green meadow from a fairy tale.

"Where is this place?"

"What just happened?"

"A crow?"

"Could it be the Three-Eyed Crow?"

Seeing no one around, Garon's mind filled with questions.

Once his breathing had steadied somewhat, he straightened his back and took a step forward.

Crack—

A sound like breaking glass came from beneath his feet.

Garon started in alarm and instinctively looked down.

The vast Winterfell lay shattered beneath him like a mirror broken into countless pieces.

Different scenes played across each shard.

Ned was praying in the Godswood; Jon was talking with Ser Rodrik; Sansa was sharing intimate confidences with her close friends.

One shard showed the scene of his recent meeting with Catelyn.

Garon's mind stirred, and his gaze fell on it.

At the same time, his red eyes began to glow faintly. An invisible magic passed through some channel and connected to the shard.

The image on the mirror immediately took Catelyn's perspective and began to rewind.

Garon didn't notice the strange light in his eyes. He kept his gaze fixed on the rewinding scene.

Until a familiar figure appeared—

Theon Greyjoy.

He was reporting something to Catelyn. After a brief exchange, her expression turned extremely grim.

Watching this, Garon finally found the answer to his questions.

Realization dawned on him. He murmured, "So it was you—Theon Greyjoy!"

Garon's expression turned cold, and murderous intent filled his eyes. "Looks like I'll have to deal with you first!"

The moment Garon made up his mind, the green fireflies drifting through the space gathered together like birds returning to their nest, forming a phrase in the Common Tongue before his eyes.

"Tonight... Godswood... meeting!"

The next moment,

Garon's vision went black, and he was torn from the space.

"Phew..."

After another wave of dizziness, Garon stumbled back two steps and found himself leaning against the castle wall.

The cold stone wall made the world outside feel real. He realized he was back.

Garon gasped for breath, ignoring his body as he quickly looked up, searching for the crow he'd seen earlier.

But the wooden perch where it had been sitting was empty.

It had clearly flown away already.

"Was that just an illusion?"

"A magical illusion created by the Three-Eyed Crow?"

Garon's thoughts were a tangled mess, and uncertainty gnawed at him.

Since it had appeared in Winterfell and the skinchanging animal was a crow, it was hard not to think of the Three-Eyed Crow hiding north of the Wall.

"The last Greenseer, the Three-Eyed Crow, Bloodraven, Brynden Rivers..."

The Three-Eyed Crow's many titles flashed through Garon's mind. He wondered, "Why would he come looking for me?"

"I haven't even had the chance to do anything."

He'd long expected that he would one day have dealings with the Three-Eyed Crow, but he'd never imagined it would happen now.

"Could it be that my stealing Sansa away from someone tipped him off to something?"

Remembering that a Greenseer could foresee the future, Garon's heart skipped a beat. "Did the Three-Eyed Crow foresee some huge change in the future?"

"But... why did he show me Theon and Catelyn's conversation?"

"And why did he invite me to meet him in the Godswood tonight?"

Too many questions swirled around Garon, and for a while he couldn't see how to make sense of them.

"The main question now is, should I go to the Godswood tonight?"

Garon furrowed his brows, silently weighing the pros and cons.

Since arriving in this world, he'd never seen magic and had no idea how to defend himself against it.

And the one wielding it was none other than the last Greenseer.

But the more Garon thought it over, the more he realized that whether he went or not, he couldn't escape the Three-Eyed Crow's watch.

The North was, after all, the domain of the Old Gods—the Greenseer's home ground!

"Forget it. I can't avoid him anyway. I'll go and see what's going on tonight!"

Just as Garon made up his mind, a familiar voice reached him from farther away.

"Lord Garon!"

Garon looked up in a daze and turned toward the voice.

Jon Snow was striding over, a broad smile on his face.

"Jon?"

"What brings you here?"

When Jon stopped in front of him, Garon came back to his senses and couldn't help asking.

Jon explained, "Robb sent me. Lady Catelyn took him away, so he asked me to keep showing you around Winterfell."

Garon understood.

"There's no need to trouble yourself. I can look around on my own."

His mind was in a muddle, and he instinctively wanted to send Jon away so he could think quietly about tonight's meeting.

But Jon said, "How could I? I already promised Robb!"

Hearing that, Garon could only agree.

He set aside the jumble of thoughts for now and strolled through the castle alongside Jon Snow.

"Lord Garon, is there anywhere you'd like to go?"

"Let's go to the First Keep. I heard there's a watchtower there, the tallest in Winterfell, with a view over the whole castle."

Garon casually named a place, then realized something and smiled.

"Jon, just call me Garon. There's no need to be so formal with each other!"

Jon smiled and agreed. He'd also wanted to get closer to Garon.

"You probably mean the Broken Tower. It really is the highest place in Winterfell."

"But it was struck by lightning over a hundred years ago, and the inside collapsed. It's been abandoned ever since."

"Bran is usually the only one who goes there."

Hearing Jon's explanation, Garon immediately thought of Bran's achievement: climbing all over Winterfell before the age of ten.

Even the most skilled climbers in his previous life would have been impressed by Bran's wall-climbing at that age.

Garon feigned puzzlement. "Why does Bran go there?"

"He's so young. Isn't it dangerous for him?"

As he led the way, Jon explained.

"Bran is good at climbing. He's climbed every stone wall in Winterfell."

"Lord Ned once tried to discipline him by making him go to the Godswood to repent."

"But the next day, Bran was sleeping in the tallest tree."

Jon grinned as he talked about Bran's antics. Clearly, the two of them were close.

Garon chuckled along with him.

"By the way..." Jon glanced at Garon and asked cautiously, "When I was coming over, I heard that Lady Catelyn seemed to have a problem with you. Is there some misunderstanding between you?"

He remembered how Catelyn had scolded Robb in the kitchen and was worried about this new friend of his.

But when he noticed Garon's searching look, he quickly added,

"Garon, don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to pry into things between you and Lady Catelyn..."

Before he could finish, Garon casually cut him off.

"It's nothing. Lady Catelyn probably just doesn't like me!"

Jon's steps faltered briefly. He was surprised. "Doesn't like you?"

"But you're about to be betrothed to Sansa!"

Garon shrugged and put on a helpless expression. "Who knows? Maybe only the Old Gods know what Lady Catelyn is thinking!"

"Oh, no, I mean the Seven!"

He gave Jon a mischievous look, and Jon understood.

The two men, both hated by Catelyn, burst out laughing.