Chapter Six: Honor Untarnished
"It's hard to imagine, who taught you swordsmanship? It's certainly not your father's style." In the training ground, a sweaty Kray swiftly completed a set of sword techniques, creating traces of death around him with a half-sword that seemed enormous in his hands.
Ser Rodrik, pinching his chin adorned with graying beard, couldn't help but marvel. In the eyes of this seasoned swordsman, Kray's swordsmanship, coupled with greater strength and speed, would be far more effective in melee combat than the techniques he himself mastered.
This made him curious because, as far as he knew, White Harbor's Mandrake family's swordsmanship was inherited from the Winterfell lineage. When Lord Wendel dueled him, it seemed that Wendel relied more on his massive size than refined swordsmanship.
"Essos is a land tainted with impurity, but, Ser, you have to admit that sometimes useful things can be found even in a rubbish heap."
Kray answered the question evasively, attributing the origin of this sword technique to his travels in Essos.
For traditional Westerosi nobles, Essos was associated with terms such as Iron Bank, trading city-states, slavery, the Dothraki barbarians, and Valyrian ruins. Except for those nobles who had commercial dealings with the trading city-states, no one showed interest in that land.
"Robb, does Maester Luwin have any news from White Harbor?" Kray turned to Robb, who was teaching his younger brother Bran archery.
"Perhaps, this morning, a raven arrived in Winterfell. My father's face didn't look too good, but I didn't dare to ask," replied Robb, lowering his voice, leaving behind an unwilling Bran, who had a discontented expression.
It was already Kray's third day in Winterfell. According to the raven's flight speed, today should be the day when Winterfell received a reply from White Harbor. Kray believed that his old man wouldn't procrastinate.
In these three days, Kray had become acquainted with the Stark siblings. Although Bran and Rickon were still young and a bit shy, his sister Vira had already become close friends with the Stark girls. The three girls huddled together, gossiping, causing the supervising governess to complain several times.
Kray's visit to Winterfell was not just about proving his identity to the entire North. More importantly, he wanted to make contact with the heart tree in the Stark family's godswood, specifically the largest weirwood tree.
The worship of the Old Gods was deeply rooted in the North. Unlike others, Kray was well aware that the weirwood tree itself contained rich magical power, something his magical pool desperately needed.
As for the last ingredient for brewing the grass infusion, the sentinel tree bark, Kray wasn't too worried. As long as he had the opportunity to leave the city, he could find this type of tree in the vast wolfswood. If that wasn't possible, the warehouse in Winterfell would have it, though the effectiveness might not be guaranteed after so long.
While everyone was chatting, a Winterfell guard, dressed in the attire of the ice wolf, entered the training ground and whispered a few words to Ser Rodrik.
"Robb, and Kray, Lord Eddard is looking for you. Go to the main castle's study to see him." Ser Rodrik interrupted the conversation.
Kray and Robb exchanged a glance, nodded, and since Kray hadn't been to the main castle yet, he had to be guided by Robb.
In the study, Duke Eddard Stark stood by the fireplace.
"You're here." Duke Eddard's voice was calm, but his entire face seemed frozen, covered with an ice that even the summer sun couldn't melt.
He first looked at Kray. "Kray Mandrake, Lord Wyman Manderly's letter confirming your identity has been received. I have already instructed Maester Luwin to explain it to the entire North."
Hearing this, Kray felt a slight relief. At least with the Manderly family's support, he had a refuge in troubled times. However, he then found it strange; this letter seemed to have put Duke Eddard in a bad mood. He probably wouldn't even melt a piece of charcoal picked from the fireplace now.
"Now, Kray, go back and gather your guards. Robb, get Bran and the others: we're going outside the city. A man who broke his vows is about to face judgment."
On the way back, a perplexed Robb furrowed his brow, completely oblivious to the rigid expression on Kray's face trailing behind him.
Kray's heart was screaming within him. If there were no surprises, this so-called oathbreaker was likely the deserter who survived the ambush by the Others. After enduring so much, Kray had finally found his place in the events of the year 298.
From a bystander to a witness, an inexplicable sense of excitement filled his body. Hastily parting ways with Robb, he issued a command: all White Harbor soldiers must assemble within half an hour.
The commanding officer swiftly carried out Kray's orders, employing both kicks and punches. Finally, the once sluggish White Harbor garrison was reformed into a disciplined formation at Winterfell.
Half an hour later, the cavalry of the two families left through Winterfell's northern gate, accompanied by the thundering sound of hooves. The already captured prisoner had been taken to an abandoned estate outside Winterfell – the execution ground where House Stark enforced the laws of the realm.
Fifty riders halted at the entrance of the estate, with the banners of the direwolf and the merman fluttering high. Bran, witnessing an execution for the first time, felt somewhat scared, hiding behind Jon and hesitating to look.
The prisoner, who had fled all the way from beyond the Wall, was covered in frostbite. The Night's Watch's black uniform was torn and tattered, revealing the bruised and battered body beneath.
Kray understood why Duke Eddard's face had turned icy. Being someone who valued honor, the Duke harbored strong disdain for oathbreakers like this deserter. In the south, noble families might buy a life for such a deserter if they had some wealth, but here, being beheaded was the only outcome.
He understood the purpose of Duke Eddard summoning him. As the leader of the North, he wanted the younger generation, including Kray as the heir of White Harbor, to understand the importance of laws and honor. The execution of this deserter served as a lesson.
The prisoner was forcibly pressed onto the wooden block for beheading. Kray was well aware of his fear, not just of death but also of the massacre in the haunted forest that remained unknown to others.
Duke Eddard dismounted from his horse, and the Stark family's ancestral sword, Ice, was handed over to him by the rarely seen Ser Waynwood. Duke Eddard took off his gloves, his hands grasping the Valyrian steel greatsword with a voice that, though loud, couldn't hide a sense of solemnity.
"In the name of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, the King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the 'First Men,' Protector of the Realm, and Warden of the North, by the name of Lord Robert I, in the name of House Stark, I, Eddard, Duke of Winterfell and Warden of the North, pronounce your death sentence."
With a swing of the sword, the head fell, and the scent of blood permeated the execution ground's grass.