(Rodrik's POV)
What he said did make sense. What ten-year-old would dare camp alone in the woods, let alone kill twelve bandits? If he could live in harsh conditions for a few years, it would certainly do a great deal for his growth. But I did not much like how he underestimated knights.
This was not something I could decide alone. Testing him made sense; if he failed the test, we would put the matter to rest. If he passed, we could let him explore with peace of mind, but I had to consult my lord first.
When I entered my lord's solar, I found him buried in paperwork. When he realized it was me, he looked up from the papers and said:
"Rodrik! Have you come to rescue me from these papers? Please tell me the Wildlings have crossed the Wall and we must go to war at once, yes?"
"My apologies, my lord. I need to consult you on an important matter, so I will need some of your time."
"Whatever it is, if it gets me away from these damned papers, at least for a while, I welcome it."
"My lord, Aermir has asked to go exploring in the North."
Lord Stark's smiling face suddenly turned serious.
"Of course we will refuse."
"I do not think he will accept that. He gave me some convincing reasons."
"Oh, what did he say?"
"My lord, you know Aermir is not an ordinary child. I expected him to make such a request, but not so soon. I thought he would ask on his fourteenth Name Day. He said you cannot raise a fierce eagle in a golden cage."
My lord paused for a few minutes, then spoke.
"As you said, he is still too young. Tell him to ask again on his fourteenth Name Day."
"I told him that, but he offered a better counterargument."
"What was it this time?"
"He reminded me that he often camps alone in the Wolfswood and hunted down twelve bandits with nothing but a bow and arrows. The first few times, I even sent our best hunters and trackers after him to keep him safe from a distance, but the result was always the same. He vanished the moment he stepped into the forest, and none of them could track him. Even though they could outrun him in the open, they could not keep up with him in the forest. They said it was like a fish slipping into water, and some called him a forest spirit. He even asked me to test him with twenty knights."
"What! This boy has grown far too arrogant, far too quickly. He needs a lesson to show him just how dangerous this world is. Twenty knights, twenty knights... ha! This boy..."
"My lord, he did not mean to fight them in close combat. He wants us to ambush him in the woods like bandits, and he said ordinary methods would not work against him."
"That is far too arrogant! Very well, we will give him a test. Send for your son."
"My lord, he does not want to fight the household guards. He knows those knights are too strong for him. He wants to face young knights, and I think they would be suitable opponents. If we send him out, he will not be facing armies. He will be fighting bands of brigands."
"Send for him. I want to speak with him."
"Yes, my lord."
(Eddard Stark's POV)
"You sent for me, my lord?"
"Yes, Aermir. Rodrik told me of your request, and I am inclined to refuse."
"My lord, please stop treating me like an innocent little boy. Yes, I know I am a child. But we both know I am not normal. I have learned everything in Winterfell, and I must travel to develop further. If I keep staying here under your protection, I will stagnate if I want to grow stronger. What I need is a challenge, not protection."
After hearing his words, I wavered a little. I looked intently into his eyes, then took a deep breath. This boy-I could never win whenever we talked. He was like a force of nature, unbreakable and untamable, wearing me out with his answers every time.
"What is your hurry? If you made this request three or four years from now, I would agree without hesitation, but you must understand that you are still too young. Yes, I know you are strong, and I wager you could defeat most adults in a swordsmanship contest. But I still think it is too soon. If I gave you permission and you were injured, or worse, I would feel I had betrayed the North."
"My lord, I do not want to waste even a single day of my life stagnating. To me, three or four years of idling here would feel like fifteen or twenty."
I did not understand what he meant. He had a little boy's curiosity, wanting to discover everything at home, yet at the same time he had the logical mind of a wise old man. He was an enormous puzzle.
There was no denying that I wanted to see whether he could prevail against an ambush by twenty knights.
"Can you tell me how you could possibly avoid being ambushed?"
"As I explained to Ser Rodrik, no one can ambush me when I am out in the wild, thanks to my ravens. If any humans approach me, they will give a warning."
"Your ravens... how?" I was confused. How could ravens say such things?
"I trained them to circle around me at all times when we are in the wild. That way, when they see humans, they can easily spot them while flying, and the enemy has no idea they are being watched. Once they spot someone, they come to me, perch on my shoulders, and point in the direction those people will be coming from, so I always know whether anyone is approaching. That lets me decide whether to fight or flee." I was stunned.
"You... how can you train animals like that? How is that possible?"
"How do maesters train ravens to travel from one place to another...? I did the same thing with years of patience and a little talent."