LORD STARK'S VERDICT

kindly, review and comment....and stone me, please...I have a Force shield so I don't mind

************************************************************************************

The first sign that made me begin to panic was our long stay in the Winterfell cell. We had spent two nights here with only some measly, filthy-looking bread and water that was brought to us by a guard at mornings and lunch.

According to the canons, Will was supposed to be brought to Lord Stark by the dawn of the first day. However, I could tell it was almost midday, yet there seemed to be no rush for our case to be addressed. I suddenly missed my world, at least there you were arraigned in court within 24 hours of arrest.

It's not that I am eager to see my head chopped, but a big part of me was looking forward to pleading with Lord Stark about our innocence.

I knew that there was little chance of him accepting anything we said and I honestly couldn't blame him.

even if I was the one in his position, I would decapitate anyone on the spot if they told such nonsense.

Winterfell is located in the North of Westeros, while Castle Black is situated at the Wall, which separates the Seven Kingdoms from the lands beyond. The distance between these two locations is approximately 600 miles.

Even if we assume that a night watchman's horse can travel at a maximum speed of 30 miles per hour, it would take around 20 hours for them to reach Winterfell from Castle Black. And this does not take into account any rest stops or obstacles that may have slowed down their journey.

unless the three had indeed been deserting. Still, the lord commander would have been aware of it within a day. I had tried to get Will talking, but the guy was such a blubbering mess that I could get nothing out of him.

Even worse was the problem of Wights, I still couldn't get the fact that they managed to cross the wall. Unless something fishier was at play

and then there was me, where would I tell lord stark I was from? I mean I could just come out clean and confess that I had transmigrated from New York(which wasn't even on the map of Westeros or Essos ). The problem with that is probably I would be decapitated before Will the deserter.

But I still wanted to meet the man

My theory was that if they did not believe our story, they should at least look for the bodies of the two-night watchmen. Of course, even if they found the bodies, there was still a chance that they would say that we murdered them for some reason.

My hope, however, lay in the possibility of them encountering the Wights in the woods. This would certainly corroborate our story.

I was growing tired of sitting on the hard concrete with nothing to do. I had already explored everything in the force system, and just looking at the quest kept my heart beating with dread. I had contemplated beginning my training in the already unlocked form I, but a part of me kept procrastinating for some reason.

I considered drawing my lightsaber and studying it closely. They had not frisked me, and so they never confiscated it, as I had just hidden it before the soldiers had surrounded us.

However, I decided against it. The mere sight of it would be enough to make Will, who had just relaxed, re-enter his panic mode. The last thing I needed was for him to throw tantrums here. I would certainly be forced to slit his throat for peace's sake.

As if on cue, my thoughts were broken by the jiggling of keys on a lock, and the door was roughly shoved open.

Two guards with their swords drawn appeared at the door, making Will cower back into the constricted cell.

A third soldier appeared, carrying iron chains.

"Step forward," the soldier said in a cruel, menacing voice that seemed to warn that he would not tolerate being crossed.

I did as instructed, and the soldier chained my hands. He did the same to my fellow cellmate before shoving us roughly toward the door.

"Move!" the man yelled with certain malice.

We walked for a while in silence as Will's panicked eyes scanned the surroundings. Poor man, it was a mercy he did not know what was in store for us. I hated to think what kind of broken mess he would have been.

I couldn't tell how long we actually walked, but We eventually came to the very spot the guy beside me had lost his head. I however felt a little relief running through my spine. the place was already crowded which meant that at the very least, the events were not unfolding as they had on the show.

amongst the crowd, I noticed lord Eddard Stark and his three boys, grey joy was also present. maester Luwin and the soldier who had ordered our arrest, ser Rodric stood next to lord stark. I also recalled the young captain who had escorted us to Winterfell. His name must have been ... Jory or something.

I noticed that every soldier present was throwing us murderous looks. lord Stark himself was staring at us in what looked like disgust.

this made my heart begin to race in fear. and then it came to me. I finally realized the reason why the soldiers were looking at us with such loathing.

I vaguely recalled Ser Rodric telling his nephew to alert lord Stark that he had gone to investigate the matter. I had forgotten this incident in my worries. could they have retrieved the bodies?

having now come closer to where lord stark was, the soldiers roughly force us to kneel. the lord of Winterfell towered above us like a mountain.

At the moment I could feel just how small and insignificant I was before this man who now held my fate in his hands.

I stood before Lord Stark, feeling the weight of his gaze upon me. My heart was pounding in my chest as I tried to remain calm and composed.

"Are you a Northerner?" he asked me, his voice stern and unwavering.

I shook my head. "No, my lord. I am not even from Westeros."

Lord Stark's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Then what are you doing in Winterfell?"

"I...I lost my way," I stammered, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. How I wished I could just tell him the truth—that I had transmigrated to his fucking land. but that would be a shortcut to outright doom.

"I don't know my lord" I finally said with a beat-up look.' fuck my brain'.what else could I say?

Lord Stark was eying me with uncertain eyes. "Your tale is full of coincidences," he said, his eyes narrowing. "You just happened to stumble upon three Nights Watch deserters and then just happened to be with one, when he murdered two of his colleagues?"

I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his accusation bearing down on me. "My lord, I swear to you that I had no part in their deaths." and neither did this man. "Those two men were murdered by white walkers." I pleaded, suddenly seeing our escape wilting.

Lord Stark studied me for a while before turning and looking at Ser Rodric. It was as if he was silently saying, 'I see what you meant.'

when he faced me once more, I knew he didn't believe a farthing I said

"You expect me to believe this wild tale?" he asked, his voice cold and stern.

I could see the doubt in his eyes, and I knew that convincing him would be no easy task. But I had to try.

"My lord, I swear it's true," I said earnestly. "I saw them with my own eyes."

Lord Stark shook his head."Enough," he said firmly. "I shall hear no more of this," he said firmly. "However, since you are not a Northman, You will await the king's arrival at Winterfell, and he will decide your fate."

My heart sank at his words. The king was coming? That meant there was little hope for me. I had forgotten Robert Baratheon did come to Winterfell in the opening. knowing the man and his level of paranoia, there was little justice I would find from him.

Hell no! I would not put my fate in the king's hands, I would have to find an alternative.

As Lord Stark turned to Will, my mind raced with thoughts of how I would escape from this catastrophic situation. I couldn't help but drift off into my thoughts until Will's desperate yells brought me back to reality.

My heart sank as I watched the soldiers drag Will towards the log. That is when I grasped the gravity of the situation.

Lord Stark had just declared Will guilty of deserting the Night's Watch and sentenced him to death. I knew that Will's execution could spell doom for me in more ways than one, especially as far as the system quest was concerned. I had to do something, at least to buy time until I figured out a way to save us both.

"Lord Stark, please," I yelled from where I knelt. "Killing Will would be an injustice. He's my only witness."

Lord Stark looked at me skeptically. "Not even a madman would believe the madness of your tales," he said casually.

But then Maester Luwin spoke up, coming to my aid. "Perhaps, my lord, for the sake of protocol, it would be best to keep both men in custody until the king arrives and can make a final decision."

Lord Stark considered this for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"Very well", lord Stark said with suppression in his voice."captain, Send them back to the cells. They will still die sooner or later".

<quillbot-extension-portal></quillbot-extension-portal>