Thief

"Oh, Robb, I wanted to ask you a favor."

"Go on. What do you need?"

Gary took the opportunity to change the subject. "You have someone in Winterfell who can sew gloves, right?"

Robb thought Gary had asked a pointless question. "Of course. There are bound to be tailors in the castle."

"Good." Gary looked serious. "I want to have a batch of gloves made."

Robb remembered the fingers Gary had injured practicing archery and assumed that was what he meant. "Luke, we have special guards for archery practice. You don't need to have any made."

Seeing that he had misunderstood, Gary added, "Not archery guards. A different kind of glove. Anyway, I really need them urgently. Sorry for the trouble, but please arrange it for me."

Robb nodded silently. It was hardly any trouble. "All right. Once you're better, I'll take you to see the castle's tailors."

"No, I need to see them now." Gary didn't want to wait. What if his left hand was exposed?

People in this era wouldn't think it looked cool. They would only see it as a devil's hand, then burn Gary to death for being "possessed by a devil."

"Now?"

Robb truly hadn't expected that, but he agreed anyway. "All right, then get out of bed."

Snow was still worried about Gary's condition. "Luke, you haven't eaten for three days. Aren't you hungry?"

Now that he mentioned it, Gary really was hungry. But business came first. "No hurry. Let's order the gloves first."

He looked around, pointed at the white bandages on a nearby wooden table, and said, "Snow, bring me those bandages, please."

Puzzled, Snow fetched them for him. "Luke, what do you need bandages for?"

Gary took the bandages and slipped them beneath the blanket, moving both hands about underneath.

"Luke, what exactly are you doing?"

Robb and Snow were both curious. The two of them even wanted to lift the blanket right away...

"Wait!"

Gary stopped them with a shout. "Give me a few minutes. I'll be done soon."

He wrapped his left hand and arm tightly in bandages. But he had wrapped them in such a hurry that he hadn't separated the fingers, making movement somewhat awkward.

"All right, let's go."

He got out of bed, put on his boots, and draped a cloak over himself for warmth before beckoning to the two of them.

Although it was summer, this was Winterfell. Even the highest summer temperatures were only in the teens Celsius, and the weather was generally rather cold.

Everything Gary had done left Robb and Snow bewildered.

"Luke, why did you wrap up your hand?" Robb felt that Gary was acting very strangely today.

Gary reached the door first. He hadn't thought of an excuse yet, so he brushed the question aside. "I'll tell you later. Let's get the gloves made first. Robb, lead the way."

"Oh, all right."

The three left the maester's tower and went to the second floor of the First Keep.

This was Winterfell's weaving room, where nearly all the clothing in the castle was produced.

Unlike the other women weaving cloth, several older women inside were exceptionally skilled tailors.

Robb led Gary and Snow straight to them.

"Ladies, this friend of mine needs a glove made. Sorry for the trouble, but please put aside your work for now."

Once everyone had stopped, Gary began explaining his requirements. "I want a glove that covers the entire arm. Hmm, make it as large and durable as possible."

As he spoke, he suddenly noticed a pile of leather gloves in a wooden crate nearby.

Gary walked over, picked up a glove, and held it against his arm. Delighted, he said, "This is what I want. I'll take the whole crate."

These were standard-issue gloves for Winterfell's soldiers. On an adult, they usually covered only two-thirds of the arm. But Gary was still a child with shorter arms, so they could cover his entire forearm.

One of the older women glanced at Robb. "Young master, what your friend wants to take is military supplies. They're all recorded in the inventory. We..."

Robb raised a hand to interrupt them. "I understand your difficulties. I'll explain everything to Father."

"Robb, Luke wants an entire crate..." Snow trailed off. After all, this could be treated as either a minor or a serious matter. Taken seriously, Gary could even be convicted of misappropriating military supplies and exiled to the Wall.

Gary thought of that too. "Ladies, can I pay for them?"

The older women exchanged glances. "Young master, the leather for a crate of gloves costs twenty Silver Stags. Do you have that much money?"

Silver coins? I only have gold. What should I do?

Gary frowned and replied, "I only have a Gold Dragon. Could you change it into Silver Stags for me?"

The older women shook their heads repeatedly. "Don't joke with us, young master. How would a few old women like us have that much money?"

Robb nudged Gary and teased, "Luke, I never knew you were so rich! But one Gold Dragon is worth two hundred and ten Silver Stags. You really are asking too much of them."

"Do you have any, then?" Gary glanced at him. As Winterfell's Young Wolf, Robb ought to have some spending money, shouldn't he?

Unexpectedly, Robb shook his head. "I don't, but Sansa does have a habit of saving money. Why don't you ask her?"

Gary rubbed his forehead. The mighty Young Wolf doesn't have a penny to his name? What a headache. "All right, I'll go back to my room for my purse, then come back to buy the gloves."

Robb suggested, "Let's split up. I'll find Sansa, and you two get the Gold Dragon."

The three parted there. Gary and Snow went back to fetch the money, while Robb went alone to find Sansa.

In Snow's room in the Main Castle.

Gary walked to his bed, bent down, and reached underneath.

Suddenly, his expression changed. "My purse is gone!"

Only the sword wrapped in animal hide remained beneath the bed. The purse had vanished.

"How could it be gone? I checked for you yesterday. The purse and sword were both there. Why don't you look again?" Snow couldn't believe anyone would dare steal inside Winterfell. Did they have a death wish?

Looking at the hide-wrapped sword, Gary thought the thief had a terrible eye for valuables. This Valyrian steel sword was worth far more than that bag of money. Yet they had taken only the purse and left the sword.

Still, he was furious.

The money was a small matter. What mattered was the missing purse. Leaf had sewn it for him herself, and he normally couldn't bear to use it.

To him, the purse itself mattered more than the gold coins inside.

"The entrance to the Main Castle is guarded. Strangers can't get in at all." Gary looked at the door without a lock, deeply troubled. Had he known, he wouldn't have left them in the room.

If the purse hadn't been too large and inconvenient to carry, he certainly would have kept it on him.

Snow pulled Gary out the door. "Come on. Let's ask the guards downstairs whether anyone suspicious came into the keep today."

The two went downstairs together. At the ground-floor entrance, they happened to meet Robb, who was holding Arya, and Sansa.

"Did you get the money?"

"No. Luke's money was stolen!"

"Stolen? In Winterfell?" Robb's eyes widened. He would sooner believe Gary was lying than believe there was a thief inside Winterfell.

Sansa was displeased. "If you're short of money, I can lend you some. But I don't like liars. I hate them!"

"Hate them!" Arya echoed in her little baby voice.

Robb explained awkwardly, "Sansa, Luke isn't that sort of person."

Snow spoke up too. "Luke has money! Uncle Benjen left it for him. A big bag of gold coins. I've seen it."

"All gold coins?" Robb couldn't help marveling. "Did Uncle Benjen leave you everything he owned?"

Gary didn't want to explain where the gold coins had come from. He approached the guard at the entrance and asked, "Excuse me, have you seen anyone come out carrying an animal-hide purse today? Or anyone acting suspiciously?"

The guard glanced at Gary without answering.

"Answer his question, guard." Robb walked over and helped Gary out.

The guard bowed his head in acknowledgment. "No suspicious people have entered or left, and I haven't seen an animal-hide purse."

Robb realized how serious the matter was. "No one has left the castle today. The purse must still be inside. Come with me to see Father."

The group of children hurried into the Main Castle and rushed upstairs.

Inside Eddard's office on the top floor of the Main Castle.

The children explained what had happened to Eddard, each chiming in.

After hearing everything, Eddard fell into thought. "Benjen told me about it. That purse and the sword you have were both left to you by your mother, weren't they? Was the purse lost, or was it stolen?"

Gary had plainly put it beneath the bed. How could it have been lost? "My lord, I'm certain someone stole it."

"That's right, Father. I specifically checked yesterday. The purse was definitely still there," Snow added.

Eddard stroked his chin and asked, "Apart from you two, who else knew the purse was hidden under the bed?"

Gary shook his head. "Probably no one."

Eddard thought for a moment. "Then the thief probably discovered the purse by accident. He must have gone to your room for some other reason at first."

A middle-aged man in his thirties stood beside him. "Poole, go and find out who cleaned Snow's room today."

The middle-aged man nodded in acknowledgment, then left the room.

His name was Vayon Poole, and he was Winterfell's steward. His job was to oversee all the castle's affairs, large and small, compile the figures each month, and report directly to Eddard.

All the castle's servants were under his authority, making him the best person to investigate.

Eddard also gave his promise. "If it isn't found, I'll compensate you in full."

"Thank you, my lord." Gary turned and left the office. Eddard's words had suddenly given him a suspect.

Robb followed behind Gary. "Luke, go back and wait for news. I'll take Sansa and buy that crate of gloves for you first."

Just then, Snow and the other two came out as well.

Gary looked back at them. "No hurry. Come somewhere with me first."

Robb instantly understood what he meant. "You have a lead?"

"It's probably him." Gary tilted his head and asked, "Do you know which floor Theon's room is on?"