2 The Beginning

Gerold was just a small boy when he escaped from war with his mother. Before the war, they were living in Blackcrown. His father, Jack, was a merchant. He was mainly selling renowned wines of Arbor to the rest of the Westeros. In one of his voyages to Arbor, he met a beautiful woman and married her. The woman was Gerold's mother, Gwayne. Gwayne was a fine beauty with her long brown hair, exquisite facial features and great body. There were many suitors trying to gain her favour but Jack won her hand.

Gwayne became pregnant at her first week of marriage but sadly, she suffered a miscarriage from severe stress. It was all because of her husband's business. When she married her, he was rich, handsome and gentle but it became different after the drought. Her husband's business was gone to the wall. He was drinking all day and beating and raping her when he came home at night.

After her miscarriage, Gwayne became pregnant again. She thought with the baby inside her, it will be like in the past and her husband will love her again. It was great at first but when the baby was born it became worse than ever. Their baby was born with disfigurement. His mouth was too small, even for a baby. There was just a tiny hole and that was the only reason he was still alive. They took him to a Maester. There were too many blood vessels around the hole in his face and widening that hole would have been the death of Gerold. Thus, maester's work was to no avail.

His father saw him as his shame. He was not even letting his son or wife out of the house. He was drinking until dawn and sleeping with women in brothels. Only Gwayne did not saw his son as a shame. He was her firstborn and last. He was her light and reason to stay. If not for him, she would have been gone from Blackcrown long ago. However, she endured for his son. She was willing to do anything for him, unlike her husband. His mother fed him with her breast milk until he was two years old. After that, she went to a maester again. Maester gave her a slender tube to feed his son. He instructed her to grind his meals and blend it with water and give through the tube. She fed him like that for two years. She was planning to raise her son in their home until her last breath. However, Gerold's fate did not lie in the Reach.

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

10 years later…

"Gerold, wake up," Gwayne called his son from downstairs.

"Mmm." Garold rubbed his eyes and woke up. He put his slippers and went downstairs.

He saw his father leaving the house. He did know his father hated him. He had beaten him when he was 7 years old because he had burnt his collection of feathers while playing with fire. That day, his mother and father got into a fight. His father stormed out of the house and did not come back for one week. After that, his father's absence in their home became something normal and even if he did come back home, it was only just for picking something or bringing money. He was mostly away from the house.

"Gud Murnin' Mum," said Gerold while looking at his mother. There were bags under his mother's eyes. He knew that he was the reason for that. After he was eight years old, he was able to take care of himself but constant mock and glares from their neighbours did not help to lessen the stress on his mother. They were calling him freak 'Holey'. When he asked his mother to why they call him like that, his mother said that they were bullies but he did know that his mother cried all night that day. At first, he hated his mother for making him like that. However, his thoughts changed its course on an unfaithful day…

One day, he had gone to a sept. He asked Septon that why was he born like this. Septon said that his disfigurement was a sign of abomination. Gerold saw the disdain in Septon's eyes. That day, he was given reason to hate something which others worshipped.

He did not know what he did in their eyes. They should have helped him. The Mother should have taught his neighbours mercy. The Father should have given divine justice to everyone who called him 'holey'. The Maiden should have shown them his innocence and purity. The Warrior should have given him the courage to stand up for himself. The Crone should have shown them his disfigurement did mean nothing. The Smith should have mended the broken him. And lastly, The Stranger should have taken him early.

His mother looked at him and said, "Good morning sweetling, did you bring your tube?"

"Uhh, I wull bring ut nuw!" Gerold quickly went upstairs and took his tube from his desk and gone to the table to eat his breakfast.

"Wait a bit, I'm still grinding them." His mother was preparing his breakfast. She was grinding some plants and blending them with water.

"Mum, nut aguin." said Gerold.

"I know, I know but maester said you should eat vegetations more. You know it is for your health. Besides, do you want to become like Anna's boy, Ralph? He is eating meat all day and he became bigger than Jocey's ox." said Gwayne.

Anna and Ralph was their neighbour. Anna was a handmaiden in the past but after having a secret relationship with one of the minor nobles, she became pregnant and gave birth to a bastard. The noble cast them aside immediately but he gave them some golds monthly. Thanks to the gold, she was able to raise his son quite good. His son Ralph was the only boy at town who was treating Gerold normally.

"I gut ut, mum," said Gerold.

After the grinding and blending is done, Gwayne brought Gerold's breakfast to the table. Gerold finished his breakfast quickly.

"Mum, can I go outsude?" asked Gerold.

"Okay, but be careful," said Gwayne while smiling.

"Thunks mum." Gerold happily kissed his mother and gone outside.

Ralph's home was nearby, so he went to them first and knocked on the door.

*Knock*

*Knock*

"Comiiiing." A voice came from inside.

The door opened and a fat lady came out.

"Hello, Gerold." The lady was Anna, Ralph's mother. She was a great beauty in the past but after being dumped, she started to eat a lot and became like this.

"Hullo, Ma'am," said Gerold.

"Are you looking for Ralph?"

"Yus!"

"Come inside."

Gerold got into the house and quickly gone to Ralph's room. He was coming to their house occasionally so he knows where his room his. Before entering he knocked on the door.

"Hu Rul..." Gerold dumbfounded.

"Fuck!!" Ralph was naked and masturbating while looking outside from the window. Gerold turned around immediately. Ralph quickly dressed up but he was still looking outside from the window.

"You can look now," said Ralph.

"You woro wotchin' aguin." said Gerold while squinting his eyes.

"Pal, 'The Great Beauty Jocelyn' was at her room with her husband again. What were you expecting me to do?" Ralph's room's back window was side-by-side with another house's window so it was easy to see what was happening on the other house.

"Purvurt." said Gerold.

"Okay, okay. Don't talk to anyone about it. Besides, I have big news. You know my shitty noble father sending us golds every month, right? He is sending the money with a servant and this morning when the servant was talking with my mother I heard that there was a war coming! From what I heard, Targaryen Prince kidnapped fiance of Lord Baratheon from North. My mother planned to take us Pentos but I'm not goin'. I am going to join the war!" said Ralph excitedly.

"Dud, wu'ru just kuds." Gerold was a bit scared.

"Pal, can't you understand? This is our chance! Bastard and Freak. We can become a legend. Bards will sing our songs. We will become knights. Lord Bulwar will personally welcome us into his house." Ralph's eyes were shining while talking.

"I dunnu. Wu'ru stull too young." said Gerold timidly.

"Come on, don't be such a coward." Ralph sighed, "Whatever, let's go out. I heard Lord Bulwar caught a lion and it will be displayed at the castle's front gate."

"Luon! Lut's go!" Gerold's eyes lit up and run downstairs.

While he passing from corridor Anna saw him and asked, "Hey Gerold, is your mum at home? I need to talk to her."

"Yus," said Gerold run outside the door.

After the children went out, Anna quickly went to Gwayne's house knocked on the door. Several seconds later the door opened and Gwayne came out.

"Ohh, hello Anna. How are you?" asked Gwayne.

"So-so. I need to talk to you about something. Can we go inside?"

"Of course, come in."

They gone inside the house sat in the table. After that, Gwayne asked worriedly, "So, what's the problem. Did something happen?"

"No, nothing happened to us but something bigger happened."

"What happened?"

"You know the servant that brings us the money right?"

"Yeah, the one you sleep with every month…" Gwayne rolled her eyes.

"Yes, that… Hey, I'm not sleeping with him every month. Whatever, Ralph's father sent a message with him. From what he said, there is a war coming. You know the Targaryen Prince, the bards sing about, right? The one that kidnapped Lord Baratheon's betrothed."

"What!?"

"Yes, so I will take Ralph and go to Pentos in a month. The ship is already ready. If you want, I can arrange passage for you and your son." said Anna. She and Gwayne were very close so it was normal for them to look out for each other.

"Mmm…" Gwayne was thinking about it.

"Gwayne, don't think too much. If war breaks out, all men will be gone, including your husband. You are not working, Ralph can't work so who is going to bring money to home." Anna said anxiously.

"But what are we going to do in Pentos?" asked Gwayne.

"Ralph's father prepared for me a position as a maid, I think I can convince him for one more position…"

"Anna, I don't know how to thank you." Gwayne's eyes teared up.

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

One month later…

As usual, Gwayne was preparing breakfast when Gerold walked into the kitchen.

"Gud Murnin' Mum," said Gerold while yawning.

"Good Morning sweetling. Get to the table and eat your breakfast. After that we'll be going somewhere together." said Anna nervously.

"Okuy." Gerold ate his breakfast quickly while his mother came to the kitchen with a bag.

Luckily, Jack was not at home so they were able to leave peacefully. They went to Anna's house and together, they got into a horse carriage.

Five hours later, they were able to see Oldtown. When Gerold saw the city, he was dumbfounded. He never went out of their town so he never saw something as beautiful as this.

When they were on the road, he asked his mother where they were going but his mother did not answer fully and only said somewhere far away. He knew it was because of the war. His father was not coming with them. Actually, he was happy that his father was not coming or else they would have experienced the same nightmare in another place.

They arrived at the city's gates and after passing it, they quickly went to the port. A ship was waiting for them there. Anna walked out and talked with a man about something. Then, they get into the ship sailed out. For Gerold, everything was developing too quickly. Just this morning they were in Blackcrown, but now in sea… sailing to Essos.