Beginning

289 AC, Wintertown...

The day was still young and the cold sun was falling onto the dirt ground of the town centre. The streets of Wintertown was lively but the atmosphere was looking bleak as the clinging of the armours and the yellings of the soldiers were resounding through the streets.

War was something no one wanted to see in these lands but when a decree was made, common folk had to follow behind their lord. Women were weeping behind their men and children were hugging their father. Such scenes were seen in every part of the town as even in the castle of the Starks, farewells were taken place.

However, in a particular home near the town centre, a father and a son were not weeping but having a joyous parting.

The boy was of small stature but, unlike his peers, he was bulkier. He had a pair of blue eyes and brown hair. His face was slim like his father's but his brows were bushy like no other. It was apparent he was a lad around 9 years.

"Father, Barth's uncle brought some dragon tooth last war, he always brags about it. How about you also bring me some dragon tooth? I heard there are sea dragons in Iron Islands! I bet Bessa will look at me more if I show it to her!!" The boy helped his father to wear his armour made from boiled leather.

"Rodrik, how many times do I have to tell you?" The man sighed and continued, "Women are always after gold coins, so you should not chase them. What you should do is to let them chase after you."

"Did mom also chase after you?" The boy asked with wonder as he helped his father.

"Aye, your mother was the most beautiful amongst those who chased after me." The man laughed as he tried to fit himself in his armour, "Looks like I got a bit fat after the last war."

Just as Rodrik was going to ask some questions about his mother, the door of the house opened and a man came in.

"Duncan, hurry up! Harold and others are already on their way, we will be late if you dally more." said the man.

"Comin'," Duncan yelled and turned back to his son, "Be a good boy while I am not here."

"Don't worry, father. I will look after the house." The boy puffed out his chest as he spoke.

"Like how you have looked after the house when I went out the last moon?" Duncan snorted, "I have already called my uncle's family, they will look after you while I am not here."

"But father, that woman hate me!!" Rodrik's eyes grew wide as he spoke.

Duncan sighed, "My cousin also comes with me. Besides, his wife and son will be great company for you. Lydia can be irksome sometimes but she is the only one I can entrust you."

"I don't like Jason, he always steals my sword!" Rodrik tried to argue but his father's stern looks made him yield.

Duncan finally completed wearing his armour and went to the door with running steps. Just as he was going to take his last step towards the streets, he stopped and turned to his son.

"Lydia and Jason will be here a few minutes later, until then, be a good boy," he said.

"Yes, father…" Rodrik sulked.

"Come here," Duncan smiled and hugged Rodrik, "I will try to bring you some trinkets."

"Father is the best!!!" Rodrik kissed his father's face and hugged him back.

The father and son's silence did not last long as the man on the door yelled again.

Duncan parted from his son and opened the door, "Can't you wait for a little more?"

"The others are already gathering before the gates." The man spoke with a displeased face.

"Aye, let's go," said Duncan.

Rodrik watched his father's back. Seeing soldiers going down the streets was a sight foreign to him as he was born during the last war and did not remember anything about those times.

He was living alone with his father in Wintertown. His father was an axeman and was constantly in Wolfswood due to his job.

On the other hand, his mother died giving birth to him. However, his father never blamed him for this and loved him more.

The other boys in the town always belittled him for not having a mother but his father was a respectable man and his words were enough for the parents of those children to give them some spanking.

Rodrik closed the door and ran back to his room. He took out a small chest under his bed and opened it. There was a few copper coins he saved and a necklace inside the chest.

The coppers came from his help to his father in the forest. Sometimes, he would go with his father and cut a few branches and would sell them on the streets.

On the other hand, the necklace was something left behind by his mother. He would always hide it in this chest and never would let someone else, other than his father, see it.

However, his second uncle's wife Lydia would always take something from home when she comes to look after him. The last time she came, she took away his mother's earrings. When Duncan asked about it, she blamed Rodrik and said that she saw him stuffing them in his pockets.

Of course, Rodrik did not do something like that and his father was not someone who would believe such a thing. In the end, nothing was done about it as Rodrik's father did not want his last relatives to leave him without help for just some earrings.

Rodrik put them in his pockets to keep them safe from the claws of Lydia. He wanted to leave the house before they come so he run towards the door. Unfortunately, as soon as he opened the door, he was greeted by the sight of a fat woman and a fat boy.

"Here he is, I saw your father down the street. And I was wondering where was his git…" Lydia spoke with a scowling face as he tried to grab Rodrik.

Rodrik dodged the claws of the woman and run up to the street while yelling, "I will come back by night!!"

Rodrik continued to run until he came upon a small street and a few children. He stopped and took deep breaths.

"You lot know nothin', my father has a steel sword!! He will cut at least ten squids." One of the boys yelled.

"Your father is a farmer, Benny. You should pray that he does not piss his pants before the squids. On the other hand, my father is an axeman. He told me that he will bring me a dragon's tooth." Rodrik chimed in as he threw his arm around one of the boy's shoulders.

The children laughed at Benny's reddening face as he clenched his small fists while looking at Rodrik venomously, "Shut up, Rodrik! You think it's funny, huh? We will see that when I tell my uncle what you said!!"

All the boys stopped laughing when Benny mentioned his uncle. His uncle was an influential figure in the town as he knew several nobles from the war against dragons.

Rodrik snorted, "Cut the crap, Benny. Did you prepare them?"

"Hmph, I did. Rony and his gang already heard about it and they are preparing themselves," said Benny as he turned around and opened the lid of a barrel. "Here they are."

Rodrik came close to the barrel and took out a long stick with a polished handle. It was a wooden sword with a blunt end. He swung it a few times imitating the soldiers from the castle.

"This is a good sword. I had to admit, sometimes you do a good job, Benny," said Rodrik.

"Jacky told me I need to return them back tomorrow in good shape or he will beat me up." Benny scrunched up his face as he spoke.

"Don't worry, we won't be using them too much," Rodrik said.

Confused faces greeted Rodrik as they asked him the reason. Rony and his gang were at least 30 lads and Rodrik's gang was at most 10.

"I went to see butcher's boy, Lenny, a day before. He will bring ten lads as a backup." Rodrik smiled proudly like he did something unexpected.

"Lenny would not spare a copper even for the beggars, I am a dog if he did not ask anything in return!!" One of the boys spoke while frowning. The other boys also nodded their heads with the same idea in their minds.

"He asked for a copper coin for every boy he and his lads take down." said Rodrik but seeing the boys groaning in unison he took out his stash from his pockets, "I already brought the payment so no need to groan this much."

Meanwhile, Benny was trying to count something with his fingers and sometime later his eyes grew wide, "But we are still short of 10 lads!!"

The others murmured looking at each other. The numbers were not in their favour.

"Don't worry, I will bring someone who is worth at least 10 boys," Rodrik said.

The others looked at each other with confusion in their eyes. They were wondering who could be worth nearly half of the Rony's gang.

"Who is it?" Benny asked.

"That is a secret, you will see him on the field," Rodrik said.

"Ohh, come on! Tell us!" One of the boys yelled.

"You guys carry swords behind the tavern, we will take them from there." Rodrik said, "I will go and call that guy."

Rodrik did not wait for them to answer and run towards the towering castle. Today's battle was going to allow Rodrik and his lads to take over Rony's territory.

Rony owned the backyard of the whorehouse and it was one of the hotspots for the young boys as they could peep from the holes on the walls and watch what was happening inside.

Rony was receiving toll from everyone who wants to peep into the whorehouse. That is why he had the numbers in town.

He went near the South Gate and sit before a tree. He waited and waited. Nearly three hours later when the sun was falling behind the castle, a hooded boy came out of the gates.

"Sorry, had to wait for guards to leave for their shifts." said the boy.

"No worries, I thought you were not coming. At least, I won't have to worry about losing to Rony's gang now." A happy smile greeted Rony's face as he slapped Jon's back.

Rodrik was the only friend of Jon from Wintertown. They first met when Jon sneaked out of the castle at night after being berated by his stepmother.

Rodrik was the one who saved him from being ganged by beggars. Actually, Jon was saved by Rodrik's father but the one who informed him was Rodrik himself.

"Nevertheless, the time has come. They would be gathering there already. We should hurry." said Rodrik.

Rodrik did not let Jon say anything as he grabbed him from the arm and dragged him towards the town…