The Giant Bear Slayer

Sunlight filtered through the branches, dappling Garon.

He gripped his bloodstained longsword, chest heaving as his ragged breaths rasped like a worn-out bellows.

At his feet, a huge black bear lay in a thick pool of blood.

With all his strength, Garon wrenched the longsword from the bear's neck. Blood sprayed across his face.

But Garon had no time to wipe it off. He turned to look at Joffrey, still shaken beside him.

"Prince Joffrey, are you all right?"

Joffrey only stood there, staring blankly at Garon, who was drenched in blood and looked like a demon god.

What churned inside him wasn't relief at surviving.

It was bone-deep terror of the man before him.

Just then, the knights who had hurried over witnessed the scene and cried out in shock, "Garon... He killed that giant bear all by himself?"

"The Giant Bear Slayer!" someone shouted first.

"The Giant Bear Slayer!"

More shouts soon joined in, one after another.

The knights' voices trembled with excitement as they cried out beneath the dappled shadows.

Their shouts drew the other hunters nearby, who came running over. Robert soon arrived as well, carrying a spear.

"Seven Hells!"

When the uproar finally died down, Robert stared at Garon in shock and asked in disbelief, "You killed it all by yourself?"

Garon was badly exhausted and could only nod.

He staggered to one side, and the nearest knight hurried to help him beneath a tree.

Robert looked utterly incredulous. He strode forward to inspect the giant bear at Garon's feet, not even noticing Joffrey still trembling with fear.

"Seven Hells..."

Robert touched the bear's body, feeling its warm, damp fur, then broke into laughter and praised him. "Ha! The Giant Bear Slayer—you've certainly earned the name!"

Then he turned and asked, "Garon, how are you feeling? Are you hurt?"

Garon shook his head, his voice hoarse. "Your Grace, I'm fine. I just need a moment to rest."

"Prince Joffrey, though, was badly shaken..."

Only then did Robert notice his frightened son. He turned and called softly, "Joffrey?"

Joffrey finally looked at Robert, trembling, his eyes brimming with tears. "I... I..."

Seeing him so terrified, with none of the bearing of a prince or a warrior, Robert couldn't help feeling disappointed.

But his son's tearful eyes softened him, and he went over to comfort him for a while.

Once Joffrey had calmed down a little, Robert ordered the others to escort him back to camp.

"Someone, find a way to get this giant bear back to camp too!"

"I want everyone to see Garon's trophy!"

At Robert's command, the Baratheon household knights racked their brains for a way to move the bear.

The bear was so enormous and heavy that the Baratheon knights feared dragging it would damage its fur.

So they called for more horses and made a giant net out of thirty or forty ropes, wrapping it around the bear's body.

Then they used the horses to haul it back to camp, inch by inch.

By then, Ned had received word from Jon and hurried over with his men.

Staring at the giant bear, which was like a small hill, Ned was just as shocked.

"Robert, did you kill this giant bear?"

In his haste, he called the king by his name. "You aren't hurt, are you?"

Robert pointed at Garon and shook his head. "I wasn't lucky enough to run into a giant bear. Garon killed it!"

"Garon?" Ned was even more astonished.

His gaze instinctively fell on Garon, who was covered in blood.

"I had no choice!"

Garon had recovered a little strength. He pulled free of the people supporting him and gave a wry smile.

"Prince Joffrey was in mortal danger. If I hadn't attacked, his life might have been lost!"

"I was lucky enough to use the terrain to kill it."

Garon briefly recounted what had happened. Only then did Robert and Ned learn just how dangerous things had been.

"It's a shame all of Prince Joffrey's guards were killed!"

Following Garon's gaze, Robert looked toward the knight who lay crushed into a pulp nearby and couldn't help shaking his head.

"When I get back, I'll make sure their families are properly rewarded!"

Just then, a knight led over some spare horses.

After exchanging a few words with Robert, Ned rode back to camp with Garon.

More and more people heard along the way about how Garon had hunted a giant bear single-handedly.

By the time they returned to camp, almost everyone was waiting eagerly.

"The Giant Bear Slayer!"

When Garon appeared in camp, covered in blood, even the servants and cooks were shouting the title.

Ned watched with a smile. When the cheering finally died down, he ordered someone to help Garon off his horse.

He had Garon taken to a long table laden with food and wine, then asked for a warm, damp towel. Garon took it and began wiping the blood from his face.

"Garon, what a feat you've accomplished!"

Garon wiped his face a few times and laughed heartily. "I was just lucky!"

Now that he thought back on it, he couldn't help feeling a lingering fear.

If the giant bear hadn't happened to crash into a tree, he wouldn't have been able to adapt on the fly. In the end, either the bear would have worn him down until he died, or it would have abandoned him and gone after Joffrey.

If the bear had beaten Joffrey to death, how could he have faced Robert and the queen?

Thinking of that, Ned patted Garon on the shoulder and said gratefully, "I owe you. Otherwise, I'd never have been able to face Robert!"

Garon smiled. "Lord Ned, we're family. There's no need to thank me!"

Ned laughed twice. "That's right. We're family!"

"By the way, there's something I'd like to ask you."

Once the laughter subsided, Ned recalled Maester Luwin's suggestion from the night before and got straight to the point.

"Garon, you know I'll soon be heading south to King's Landing, and my children will go with me. But Jon can't come."

Ned's expression grew serious. "He's a bastard, and there's no place for him in King's Landing."

"So I'd like him to become your squire!"

"What do you think, Garon?"

Garon looked taken aback. Seeing his expression, Ned thought he was unwilling and continued, "I only thought to ask because you and Jon have been getting along so well lately..."

But before he could finish, Garon smiled and interrupted him.

"Lord Ned, to be honest, I'd already had the same idea!"

"A few days ago, when Jon and I were talking, I invited him to visit Deepwood Motte."

"But Jon was worried about what you might think, so he never dared to accept. I'd meant to find a chance to speak with you about it, but I didn't expect..."

Ned paused, then smiled. "So, you agree?"

Garon nodded firmly. "Of course!"

Ned was overjoyed.

"That's wonderful. I'll speak to Jon later..."

Just as Ned was about to say more, a rider galloped from Winterfell to the hunting camp.

"Lord Ned, Lady Catelyn says you must return at once!"

"Bran... Bran fell from the high wall. No one knows whether he's alive or dead!"

"What!"

Ned was shocked and furious. His whole body trembled, his face filled with disbelief.

In an instant, he seized a horse and raced toward Winterfell.