Near dusk.
Joel carried half a bottle of ale, staggering through Winterfell's dim corridors.
At one point, he even stumbled against the wall and fell over.
He was still muttering words like "girl" and "happy."
A patrol happened to pass by, and the soldiers weren't surprised at all by the sight of Joel.
For the past two days, as soon as night fell in Winterfell, the place had been full of drunk southern knights and noble lords wandering about.
"Hey, Ser, if you're going to see a whore, get out of the castle soon!"
"In an hour, Winterfell's drawbridge will be raised. After that, no one can come or go without Lord Ned's orders."
The last Winterfell soldier to pass Joel offered him a kindly warning.
Joel waved a hand and slurred, "Got it."
Once the soldiers had gone, the drunken haze in his eyes vanished at once.
Joel slowly got to his feet and made his way toward Winterfell's south gate.
As he went, he cursed under his breath.
"Damn it, am I crazy, or is the prince?"
"He actually wants me to assassinate Duke Ned's son!"
Whenever Joel thought of how greed had clouded his judgment earlier that day, he wanted to slap himself.
When Joffrey had approached him, Joel—who had fled from Pentos to Westeros—had thought his luck had finally turned, and that the prince was going to take him on as a servant.
Instead, the prince had told him to find a chance to assassinate Bran!
Joel had been stunned.
But Joffrey had offered far too much—
One hundred Gold Dragons, and a promise to recommend him to the king.
In a moment of reckless excitement, Joel had taken the Gold Dragons and agreed.
But after spending the afternoon thinking it over, Joel felt the pouch of Gold Dragons against his chest and muttered, "I'm afraid I'll be alive to take the money, but not to spend it!"
"Ah..."
He let out a soft sigh, pretended to be drunk, and slowly crossed Winterfell's courtyard. Then he glanced back casually at the main keep, where candles had been lit.
"Was that blond prince kicked in the head by a horse?"
"Fuck, there are so many guards, and he still expects me to pull off an assassination within two days?"
"I'm no Giant Bear Slayer. How could I possibly manage that?"
Joel continued cursing inwardly as he headed straight for the south gate.
He decided to leave Winterfell first, then look for a chance to run away tomorrow.
"I've offended the prince. I can't stay in Westeros anymore. Maybe I should go back to Pentos and keep working as a sellsword."
"Besides, that stupid prince has already paid me all the Gold Dragons."
Having made up his mind, Joel kept the Gold Dragons Joffrey had given him close and abandoned the assassination without a second thought.
When night fell, Joel slipped out of Winterfell among a group of southern knights heading to Winter Town for a good time.
Just as he was about to go enjoy himself in Winter Town for the night, the sound of hooves came from the gate behind him.
Joel stepped aside, and three riders galloped out of Winterfell.
One of them had dark brown hair and the handsome bearing of a young man. It was none other than Garon, who had recently become famous.
"The Giant Bear Slayer..."
Remembering the enormous bear that had been brought back to Winterfell yesterday, Joel couldn't help looking at Garon with a trace of fear.
"Strange. Why isn't the Giant Bear Slayer staying in Winterfell at this hour? What's he doing in Winter Town?"
"Is he looking for a good time too?"
"Don't be ridiculous. He just got engaged to the daughter of the Northern lord. He'd have to be crazy to go looking for fun in Winter Town."
"I wouldn't be so sure. The Giant Bear Slayer's been making quite a stir these past two days. Maybe women are throwing themselves at him."
"Heh..."
The group laughed and joked, and a lewd grin spread across Joel's face too.
He mingled with them and headed for Winter Town's pleasure houses.
Winter Town was much livelier at night than Winterfell.
With the king's arrival, girls and peddlers had flocked there to do business.
Joel pushed open a wooden door as if he'd done it a hundred times. A girl came forward with a coquettish smile.
They quickly stripped and got down to business.
After a vigorous bout, Joel sprawled lazily on the bed and drained the ale he'd left by the bedside.
"My lord, why did you bring so much money today?"
The girl lay against Joel's chest, staring fixedly at the pouch of Gold Dragons he'd left by the bed.
Joel gave her a smack on the bottom and replied carelessly, "It's my reward for a job. Go on, fetch me some more ale to get us in the mood!"
"I'm going to have you from head to toe tonight, my lady. Tomorrow might be too late!"
At his words, a strange glint flashed in the girl's eyes.
But she soon rose with a giggle and went naked to the table nearby to get some ale.
Standing at the table, the girl shook the empty bottle. "My lord, I'm out of ale in my room. I'll go get some from next door!"
Joel nodded, reached into the pouch by the bed, took out a Gold Dragon, and tossed it onto her chest.
"Be quick about it. I'm not done yet!"
The girl giggled as she pocketed the Gold Dragon, put on her clothes, and left the room.
Joel leaned back on the bed, watching the candle before him as he waited for her to return so they could go another round.
But more than ten minutes passed, and she still hadn't come back.
Joel grew suspicious and muttered, "Does it really take that long to fetch a bottle of ale?"
His long years as a sellsword told him that something was wrong.
He quickly got dressed, buckled his sword at his waist, and tucked the Gold Dragons into his shirt before preparing to go out and take a look.
Joel opened the door, and the cold northern night made him shiver.
"Damn..."
The road outside was deserted. There wasn't a soul in sight.
Moans continued to drift from the rooms around him, making Joel's blood run hot.
He walked a few more steps but still didn't see the girl.
Realizing something was wrong, Joel drew his longsword and quickly hid in the shadow of a building.
He felt his way forward through the dim night.
But before he'd gone far, Joel heard a rush of hurried footsteps.
He cautiously peeked out and saw several Winterfell soldiers closing in on him.
"Who are they hunting?"
As soon as the question occurred to him, Joel saw the girl who'd just been with him following behind the soldiers.
"Shit, did that stupid prince let something slip?"
"Are they here to arrest me?"
"But I haven't done anything yet!"
A bad feeling came over him.
"If they catch me, I won't be able to explain myself even with a hundred mouths."
"To these nobles, agreeing to an assassination is a grave crime in itself!"
Joel hurriedly backed away, planning to steal a horse from the stables east of Winter Town and flee that very night.
But as he retreated, he accidentally stepped on a branch.
Crack—
The Winterfell soldiers searching the area tensed at once.
"Who's there?"
Joel didn't dare answer. He turned and ran.
"It's him! That's the man!"
The girl recognized Joel by his clothes and immediately shouted.
The Winterfell soldiers surged forward.
"Stop!"
"Catch him! It has to be him!"
The soldiers shouted one after another. Several torches flared to life around them as they chased Joel.
Joel ran with all his might. Thanks to his familiarity with Winter Town from the past two days, he quickly reached a nearby stable.
There were indeed several horses inside.
Joel didn't hesitate. He swung himself into the saddle.
But just as he was about to ride off, Garon suddenly sprang out from the side and brandished his sword. "Where do you think you're going?"
"The Giant Bear Slayer!"
Joel was horrified. He hurriedly raised his sword to block, but with a clang, the blade was knocked from his hand before he could react.
By sheer bad luck, it flew toward Garon's side.
For a moment, Garon could only turn his head to dodge.
"Hyah!"
Joel seized the chance and immediately rode out of Winter Town.
"After him!"
By then, Ser Rodrik had arrived at the scene. The two men mounted up, one horse each, and gave chase without letting up.
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