A pact with House Stark

Lord Rickard leaned back slightly against his chair. His expression was relaxed, as though what he had just said were as simple as discussing which dish she preferred for dinner.

Ghost could hardly believe his ears. "My lord, what did you just say? I didn't quite hear you."

The room was silent except for the crackle of wood burning in the fireplace. Rickard picked up the wine cup beside him and took a sip, saying nothing for a long while.

Ghost felt an invisible, crushing pressure.

Rickard's presence reminded Ghost of the aging lion Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones-both men seemed shrouded in dense darkness. Compared with Tywin's brooding heaviness, the old wolf lord was colder and more inhuman.

Did every powerful lord who ruled a region in Game of Thrones possess this imposing air without even needing to show anger?

"How about this? I'll give you two more choices." After considering for a moment, Rickard said quietly, "First, you saved my children, so I can spare an unnatural creature like you. You may return to the Wolfswood or go anywhere else in the North. In short, leave Ned and Lyanna."

Ghost could not help shaking his head, but Rickard continued as though he had not seen it. "Second, you may stay, but you must never appear in human form again. Behave yourself and guard my children as a wolf."

Ghost lowered his head without a word, waiting for the lord to offer his third condition.

"Third, I give you the greatest freedom. You may remain by Lyanna's side, or leave for anywhere you like at any time. But first, you must work for House Stark."

"What if I don't want any of those choices?" Ghost asked tentatively.

"Do you see that sword?"

Rickard Stark pointed at the wall, where a sharp longsword hung. Its blade gleamed brightly, and its design was ancient and simple. It appeared to be House Stark's ancestral Valyrian steel sword-Ice.

Rickard Stark said, "I've used it to take many heads with my own hands, both human and beast. It's very sharp. There will be no pain. Death will come in an instant."

This was a threat... a naked threat.

If she refused to choose, Rickard would turn her into a wolfskin coat, wouldn't he? Was this only to be expected of the world of A Song of Ice and Fire? Even the wolves could be nobles who killed without blinking.

Bloody scenes flashed before Ghost's eyes, and she could not help recalling the cold, ruthless looks in Sansa's and Arya's eyes when they worked together to execute Littlefinger.

They matched the look in their grandfather Lord Rickard Stark's eyes at this moment perfectly.

Ghost intended to learn exactly what Rickard was after before deciding. She kept feeling that this man was different from the previous heads of House Stark.

There was something called ambition in his eyes.

"By the third choice, do you mean becoming the crown prince's betrothed? May I know why?"

"I can tell you're not merely a beast. You possess human intelligence." Rickard nodded in acknowledgment. "You can try working it out yourself."

Lord Rickard looked toward the rafters, as though his gaze could pierce through everything and reach distant King's Landing.

"King Aerys has been searching for a bride for Prince Rhaegar, but he has rejected countless nobles, even the daughter of the Hand of the King, Tywin Lannister."

"On the surface, it seems to be about preserving the purity of the Targaryen bloodline, but you can guess at the deeper reason..."

Ghost's eyes widened, and he blurted out, "His achievements overshadow his sovereign."

"What did you say?" Lord Rickard froze. He could not understand those four Chinese characters.

Ghost carefully chose his words and translated the idiom for Rickard.

A gleam of intense admiration instantly lit the lord's eyes, and he sighed. "I underestimated you. Not only do you possess intelligence, you surpass most people."

"Perhaps I need to reconsider the way we cooperate."

Ghost bit her lip, struggling inwardly. She did not want to be drawn into the whirlpool of power, but Lord Rickard was hardly someone she could bargain with...

At this point in time, according to the chronicles Ghost had read in her previous life-in the years before the False Spring, a succession of rebellions and wars large and small within the kingdom had driven King Aerys increasingly mad.

He had begun distancing himself from Tywin Lannister and, like his forebears, becoming obsessed with sorcerers, wildfire, and methods of resurrecting dragons.

Next, he would remove Tywin from his position as Hand of the King, use the position of the crown prince's bride to win over Dorne, and listen to Varys's slander, distancing himself from capable ministers.

In just a few years, the "Mad King" would undermine the authority of the Targaryen royal family step by step, turning the Seven Kingdoms into a complete mess.

Returning to the present, Rickard Stark of the North was marrying his eldest daughter to Robert Baratheon and having his eldest son marry Catelyn Tully. He was sending Ned back to the Vale... and now he wanted her to approach Crown Prince Rhaegar...

No Stark would use such flexible political maneuvering and marriage alliances to draw so many allies to his side.

The more Ghost thought about it, the more alarmed she became. She finally could not resist asking, "My lord, what do you want to gain through me?"

Rickard Stark refused to answer. Instead, he turned and waved a hand. "Go back to Lyanna. I'll give you two days to consider."

Ghost had no choice but to turn and leave, only for Rickard to stop her again.

"Oh, and you wouldn't be foolish enough to reveal the contents of this conversation, would you?"

"No, my lord."

With his hands clasped behind his back, Rickard Stark walked over to where Ice hung on the wall. He silently stared at its gleaming blade for a long time before sighing faintly and returning to his seat.

He picked up the quill on his desk, drew out three sheets of message paper intended for ravens, and wrote swiftly. Then he rolled them up separately and placed them inside small paper tubes. Finally, he pressed House Stark's signet ring into hot red sealing wax and left the wolf impressions to dry.

The door opened soundlessly, and a thin figure wrapped in gray robes drifted inside like a ghost. "My lord..."

His voice was hoarse and shrill, like the howl of a fierce wind blowing through cracks in a crumbling wall. His hands trembled as he reached out to accept the three sealed messages.

Rickard said softly, "Weilisi, has your lung disease worsened again?"

"It's nothing. This old man can live another four or five years. That's enough."

The hoarse, shrill voice paused briefly before asking, "Two to the usual recipients. And this other one?"

"Send it to that person in King's Landing..."

"Yes, my lord."

Ghost left the lord's room with a heavy heart. Lyanna rushed toward him, her face also full of worry. "Ghost, Father didn't say anything, did he?"

Ned seemed very nervous. He still did not quite dare look at Ghost, and spoke from behind his sister. "Your body... are you still feeling unwell?"

They were genuinely worried about him. Ghost answered gently, "I'm much better. Thank you, Lyanna. Thank you, Ned. Lord Rickard didn't give me any trouble."

Lyanna sighed. "That's good. Ghost, can you still change back...? Seeing you like this feels so strange."

Ned muttered a few words under his breath, but neither Lyanna nor Ghost heard him clearly. "Ned, what are you saying?" "Big brother, what are you saying?"

"N-nothing. You two should get some rest. Aren't you tired?" Ned's face was still burning. He felt as though he had become a little bewitched.

Lyanna grabbed Ghost's hand, her eyes shining. "Come to my room. There are so many things I want to ask you." With that, she pulled Ghost away at a run.

Ned remained there alone, his expression complicated as he gazed entranced at the two girls' retreating figures.

That long platinum hair... so beautiful, like the bright moon in the sky.

"Tell me, how did Father give you trouble?" Lyanna asked with complete certainty. "Did he ask you to do something you don't want to do?"

Ghost's mind was a jumble, and she had a heart full of worries. The moment she came out and saw Lyanna's face, she remembered the Tower of Joy and pictured her lying there at death's door, blood pooling beneath her...

"Ghost, have you gone stupid?" Unhappy to see her looking so dazed, Lyanna shook her shoulders.

"It really was nothing. He was just worried I'd expose my identity, so he gave me a few warnings."

Lyanna grinned mischievously. "You gave that idiot Ned quite a fright. Did you see his face? He was as red as a boiled lobster. Hahaha!"

"Uh..." Ghost was at a loss for words. It seemed she had still been naked while soaking in the hot spring. He probably hadn't seen anything... right?

Never mind. By the standards of her previous life, Ned was actually still quite young. At least ten or so years younger than her. She would just act as though nothing had happened and behave naturally.

"Ghost, what are you going to do?" Lyanna looked at Ghost with some concern.

She truly was worried about her, and Ghost felt a bittersweet ache in her heart. Bold, beautiful, and kind, Lyanna should not die in the bloom of youth.

Ghost's gaze gradually grew resolute as she made up her mind. She had to change Lyanna's fate... she would stop Rhaegar from causing trouble.

Since fate can't be avoided, I'll go to King's Landing...

And see just who Rhaegar Targaryen really is.