Catelyn's gratitude

The light inside the tower was dim and intimate.

Cersei leaned against the cold stone wall.

Her hood had long since slipped off, and her golden hair lay tangled across her shoulders.

Her sumptuous skirts were bunched around her waist.

Jaime Lannister panted, his palm gliding over Cersei's smooth skin.

The rough stone stood in stark contrast to the warmth of her skin.

"Hurry, Jaime."

Cersei's voice was hushed and urgent.

"If someone finds us..."

"No one will."

Jaime raised his head, sweat trickling down his handsome profile.

He kissed Cersei's lips, swallowing everything she had been about to say.

Outside the tower.

Bran finally climbed up beneath the window.

Driven by intense curiosity, he hooked his little hands over the sill and hauled himself up.

Bran poked his head inside.

He saw them.

The Queen.

And... Jaime.

Bran's eyes went wide.

Cersei was embracing Jaime, lost in passion.

Suddenly, Cersei caught sight of the window out of the corner of her eye.

"Quick, stop!"

Inside the tower, Jaime abruptly froze.

He followed Cersei's gaze, whipping his head toward the window.

Their eyes met.

Bran's gray eyes were filled with shock and terror.

Jaime's gaze turned cold in an instant.

"Damn it, how did this boy get up here from below?"

Cersei reacted as well.

She shrieked, frantically tugging at her skirts as she retreated into the shadows.

"He saw us! Jaime! He saw us!"

Jaime moved with incredible speed.

He strode over to the window.

He looked down at the trembling boy clinging to the outside wall.

"Quite the climber, aren't you, lad?"

"How old are you?"

Bran stammered.

"T-ten..."

Jaime's gaze sharpened.

A ten-year-old already understood a great deal.

He asked a probing question.

"What did you see, boy?"

Jaime's voice was terrifyingly calm.

Bran opened his mouth, but he was too frightened to utter a word.

He wanted to back away, but behind him was a sheer drop.

Jaime's golden hair stirred in the wind.

He glanced at the distant Hunting Party, then looked back at Bran.

"It seems you understand what this means."

Jaime withdrew his hand and looked toward the frightened Cersei.

Just as Bran breathed a sigh of relief.

"The things I do for love."

Jaime suddenly reached out and gave him a hard shove.

"No!"

Bran's scream shattered the silence of the courtyard.

He instantly lost his balance and toppled backward.

Below the tower.

Here it comes!

Lynn had already calculated the path of Bran's fall.

The instant Bran screamed, Lynn dropped the longsword in his hand, his legs already moving.

Bran plummeted, his small body tumbling through the air as ravens circled above the castle.

Lynn could have caught Bran in his arms.

But since he intended to earn the Starks' gratitude, he naturally had to put on a better show. He needed to secure some leverage for himself.

Through rest and recuperation, his constitution had almost recovered from its initial two points and now stood at four.

An ordinary, strong adult man had a constitution of only three points.

That was what gave Lynn the confidence to take the impact head-on.

So Lynn leaped into the air, using his own body to "cushion" Bran's fall.

Thud!

A dull impact rang out.

Bran's body slammed heavily into Lynn's shoulder and back.

With his physical conditioning as a man of the Night's Watch, taking that impact was still quite easy.

The two rolled several times across the gravel-strewn ground, sending dust flying.

Summer, the direwolf, rushed over, howling wildly as he circled them.

Lynn first checked Bran, then stood up to examine his own injuries.

Damn it, I'm not even hurt.

Lynn gritted his teeth, put some distance between himself and the tower behind him, then chose to slam his back straight into it.

Thud!

Thud!

After slamming into it with all his strength, he finally got the result he wanted.

Half his body had now gone numb.

Lynn felt a dull ache in his back.

Good.

Lynn turned his head with difficulty to look at the boy in his arms.

Bran's eyes were tightly shut, his face as white as paper.

His right leg and left arm were twisted at unnatural angles.

But he was still alive, his chest rising and falling faintly.

Lynn breathed a sigh of relief and struggled to his feet, holding the unconscious Bran.

"Someone!"

"Someone, come quickly!"

"Bran's been hurt!"

At last, someone inside the castle heard the commotion.

Patrolling guards and servants who had remained behind came rushing over.

Up in the tower.

Jaime watched the dust rising below and the figure who had suddenly appeared.

His brow furrowed.

Cersei rushed over and leaned out the window to look down.

"Is he dead?"

"No."

There was a rare note of gravity in Jaime's voice.

"Someone saved him."

"Who?"

"A man dressed in black."

Jaime drew back, his expression dark.

"We need to leave. Quickly."

Cersei also realized how serious the situation was.

But Jaime shook his head.

"No, I have to go down and kill them both!"

Cersei hurriedly spoke.

"Have you lost your mind?"

"Bran's fall can be passed off as an accident."

"If his body has wounds inflicted by another person, that would be an entirely different matter!"

"He's Ned's second son!"

Watching the distant figures rushing over in response to Lynn's cries, Jaime raked a hand through his golden hair in frustration.

He knew they could not afford to linger any longer.

"Now all we can do is insist we had nothing to do with it."

Jaime said this to Cersei.

Cersei nodded, and the two quickly straightened their clothes and left the tower.

Watching the distant figures racing toward him, Lynn relaxed and closed his eyes.

He was an "injured man" now. He could leave the rest to the Starks.

Lying on a soft bed, Lynn soon fell into a deep sleep.

Lynn felt as though a noisy raven was beside his ear, cawing incessantly.

When he opened his eyes again.

His vision was blurry at first, then gradually cleared.

The irritating cawing beside his ear had also vanished without a trace.

An unfamiliar ceiling made of thick oak beams lay overhead.

The air smelled of herbs and ointment.

"You're awake."

An elderly voice spoke.

Maester Luwin sat in a chair beside the bed, holding a book.

When he saw Lynn open his eyes, he closed it.

Lynn tried to push himself up.

A sharp pain shot from his back and instantly spread through his entire body.

Lynn did not try to tough it out and sank back onto the bed.

"Don't move."

Maester Luwin rose and approached the bedside.

"Your spine sustained a severe impact."

"Although there are no fractures, you must stay in bed for the next few days, just to be safe."

"But you have a strong constitution. There shouldn't be any serious problems."

Of course there aren't any serious problems. I slammed into it myself. How could I not know how far to go?

Lynn spoke in a "hoarse" voice.

"Bran... how is Bran?"

A trace of sorrow appeared on Maester Luwin's face.

"He's alive."

"That truly is a blessing amid misfortune."

The maester paused.

"But he hasn't woken up yet."

"His leg and arm are broken, though I believe they should heal."

"If you hadn't cushioned his fall, he would probably have spent the rest of his life confined to a bed."

Lynn closed his eyes.

The outcome was better than he had expected.

"The king and the duke are already on their way back."

Maester Luwin continued.

"All of Winterfell is in chaos."

"The duchess..."

Maester Luwin did not finish.

The door to the room was gently pushed open.

Catelyn Stark walked in.

Her eyes were red and swollen, her face pale, and her usually neat hair was somewhat disheveled.

She looked as though she had not slept all night.

Maester Luwin bowed slightly to Catelyn, then silently left the room, closing the door behind him.

Only Lynn and Catelyn remained in the room.

Catelyn walked to the bedside.

She looked at Lynn, her blue eyes filled with conflicting emotions.

There was gratitude, sorrow, and a trace of something she could not put into words.

She suddenly bent at the waist.

Startled, Lynn hurriedly spoke.

"My lady, what are you doing!"

Catelyn stopped.

At last, she could no longer hold back her tears, and they slid down her cheeks.

"Thank you."

Her voice was choked with tears and trembled uncontrollably.

"Thank you for saving my Bran."

"If it hadn't been for you..."

She could not go on. She could only cover her mouth with her hand to keep herself from sobbing aloud.

"My lady, as you know, as long as I pay the price, I can see things others cannot."

Lynn spoke calmly.

"Not long before Bran's accident, I had already sensed the danger."

"But I still arrived a moment too late. I didn't manage to stop Bran from climbing the tower."

"And besides, my lady."

"Anyone who saw him would have done the same."

Catelyn shook her head.

"No."

"Not everyone has your courage."

She wiped away her tears and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

"Lynn."

"House Stark owes you a life."

"From this day forward, all of Winterfell owes you a debt of gratitude."

Catelyn's gaze became utterly resolute.

"I swear by the Seven."

"As long as I, Catelyn, draw breath, House Stark will always protect you."

"What do you want?"

"Money, status, or honor?"

"You need only ask. If it is within House Stark's power, I will grant it."