Chapter 8

Eddard Stark. Winterfell.

I stood in the crypt and stared at the statue of Lyanna, remembering what had happened in the last year and a half.

Solomon's arrival had been a boon to Winterfell. Especially for the Stark family.

Every member of the family has taken a liking to him. And my children adored him. It wasn't just his looks and kindness, but the stories he told. They were exciting, fascinating, and sometimes - funny and confusing. But the most important thing followed them when Solomon asked for their opinions about them.

He made them ponder and come to conclusions they would not have come to for a long time. He was making them...mature while still retaining their childlike enthusiasm.

I saw with my own eyes how their view of the world and their actions changed. But the most important lesson they learned was to be themselves, not like someone else. Solomon made them seek their own path in life. Which I'm so glad they did.

Robb was especially affected. As heir to Winterfell, he'll have a huge burden on his shoulders, and a lot of people's lives will depend on his decisions. But he tried to emulate me time and time again. He tried to be me. Now, Robb was different. He wasn't trying to remember my every action, he was analyzing them, evaluating them from the outside. Which made me proud.

Sansa has obviously fallen in love with Solomon. I'm not surprised. His looks and character kind of lend themselves to that. And because of the story, she listened with half an ear, admiring his face, but she listened nonetheless. She realized that the world wasn't as beautiful as she'd thought it was before. And drop by drop her naivety evaporated, revealing to her a truer picture. Now Sansa devotes her time not only to lady etiquette and embroidery, but also to politics and its intricacies. I even saw her ask Kat something once and scrutinize her reaction to her words, i.e. facial expressions and body language.

Arya and Bran just marveled at the stories and outwardly showed no change. But they are changing. That much I'm sure of. And Rickon is still too young for all of this.

Solomon was also able to affect Cat in the same way. Her discontent with Jon didn't disappear, but it subsided. She no longer looked at him as a "fruit of sin" that should be gotten rid of immediately, but simply as an unpleasant boy, causing a slight undercurrent of dislike.

And Jon... Jon saw Solomon as a King. A king and a father. If he had a problem, he turned to him for help first, which made me a little jealous. But I was happy for Jon. He had found in the figure of Solomon the father he had never seen.

The next moment my hearing caught footsteps in my direction. And they belonged to Sir Rodrik, who appeared in the crypt a few seconds later.

- Lord Stark," he greeted me and bowed slightly. - I think you'll be interested in the news.

- News? What is it, Sir Rodrik?

- A woman, a Red Priestess by the way she was dressed, visited the castle. And she was looking for Lord Solomon.

- The Red Priestess? Why would she be looking for him? Especially here in the North.

That's very strange. In the lands of Westeros, the Red Faith isn't exactly widespread. The only region it dominates is Dragonstone, ruled by Stannis Baratheon. And that's where the only Red priestess I know of was stationed.

- I have no idea, My Lord. But you'll be interested to hear what she called Lord Solomon. And from the look on his face when he heard them, she was never wrong.

- Оh? - I marveled and was intrigued. - So what did she call him?

- If memory serves me correctly... King of Magic....

King of Magic? I think that might well describe his magical abilities.

- Bearer of the Ten Rings.

Well, he's wearing more than ten rings.

- Wise King of Israel.

When the last title came out of Sir Rodrik's mouth, I froze.

The word 'Wise' I could understand. He was indeed wise, even if outwardly he looked about twenty-five years old. And in one of the stories, Solomon mentioned that "Israel" was one of the countries in the lands he came from. I can understand that, too.

But "king"?! That's a synonym for "king," isn't it?! Solomon ruled a country?! H-how?! Why didn't he say anything?!

Now I can see why he has knowledge of politics, etiquette, and conducting conversations, and his movements are so regal and refined....

- He's been a damn king all this time! - I shouted, and my voice echoed in the crypt. - Solomon ruled an entire country and didn't see fit to mention it! A traveling Magician, for fuck's sake!

Calming down, I looked at the only person in the crypt who had heard my shout and saw him laughing madly upon seeing my reaction to his words.

- Hahahahahahaha..." Sir Rodrik managed to squeeze out a laugh while holding his stomach. - Your reaction is priceless!

- Are you kidding me, Sir Rodrik?! - My emotions returned. - I had a bloody king living in my castle and no one had a clue! How am I supposed to react to this?! How will Robert react when he finds out about this?!

And I do worry about that. If Robert finds out about the other king, what will he think? Or rather, what will the other lords think? A new war?! North against all?! I don't want that, damn it!

- Calm down, my lord," he said, somewhat calmly. - 'Let's just ask Lord Solomon personally. Besides, I don't think he thinks it's a big deal.

- Let's do it! - I said, still emotional, and headed for the exit. Sir Rodrik followed me.

"The Wise King of Israel has some explaining to do.

-0-

Kinvara. Winterfell.

While my king mulled over my tale of the Doom of Valyria, I stood behind his shoulder and chuckled softly, remembering the reaction to me.

My first impression was that he was incredibly handsome, which sent a wave of heat and attraction through my body.

And when my gaze met his still at the gates of Winterfell, it was as if a mountain of magical energy had descended upon me.

To ordinary people without a gift for the magical arts, my king looked like an ordinary man, albeit with an otherworldly appearance. But for someone like me, it was different. I saw him as the sun. Huge and warm and shining brightly.

And it was then that it became clear to me why the Lord of Light wanted me to find this man.

Shock, and then joy and excitement filled my mind at being able to find the true Azor Ahai, the savior of mankind from the Great Other. At last the darkness would recede and the light would triumph again.

And when he approached me, I did not hesitate to kneel before him. My heart fluttered in his presence in such a way that I could not even hear his words.

But what happened next was something that I am sure even the Lord of Light himself did not expect. When his hand touched my shoulder, visions of both the future and the past arose in my mind. His past.

-0-

Memories.

I was on some hill in a land that looked like Essos. And ten paces away from me stood he, my king, staring at something below. As I approached the edge, a city appeared before my eyes. More precisely, the process of its construction.

- Israel... - something told me the name of this land. A land too far from Westeros to reach - The Wise King of Israel....

And in the next second, the picture before me began to change, and the city that had just begun to be built filled with buildings and people in a matter of seconds. And in its center stood a huge temple, which could be mistaken for a palace.

Then the picture changed, and I found myself in the middle of a room with a huge bed on which lay a young man, a younger version of my king. The next moment a glowing figure appeared at its end.

- God..." I whispered. My heart was racing in my chest, and my eyes refused to blink so I wouldn't miss a second of what I was looking at.

The intensity of the light woke him up. Waking up and seeing the figure, his eyes widened.

- Is this... is this a dream? - My king asked.

- No, my child... It is not a dream. - The light answered. His voice was gentle and soothing, but with strength and authority.

Which was so like the Lord of Light when I spoke to him six months ago. But... But this glowing figure was stronger. Much stronger than the Lord. And I... I didn't know what to think about that.

- I am at your service, Lord. - bowed my king's head.

- Calm yourself, child, no need for formalities. - said the figure.

- What can I do for you, my Lord?

- You, my son, are worthy. Tell me your wishes. And I will fulfill them.

My king answered without a second's hesitation. Calmly and clearly.

- You were faithful in your great and steadfast love for my father David. And you made me king after him. May the promise You made to my father David be fulfilled, O Lord God. You have made me king over a people as innumerable as the sand; now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go ahead of this people, to lead them and guide them. For who is able to rule so great a people of Thy?

- Because you longed for this in your heart, and did not ask for riches or other earthly goods, nor for fame, nor for the death of your enemies, nor even for longevity, but asked only for wisdom and knowledge to rule over my people, over whom I have made you king, for this both wisdom and knowledge will be given to you. And I will also give you riches, goods of the earth, and glory such as no king has ever possessed before, and no king after you will ever possess," the voice answered contentedly, "You are truly worthy... Rest, Solomon, son of David.

And when the light spoke the last words, it disappeared and my king fell into bed. But my eyes could see the ten rings shining brightly on his fingers.

- The bearer of the ten rings..." I muttered, looking at it. Once again, information I had no way of knowing went through my head and made me realize what my eyes had seen.

Lord Solomon received them from God for his wisdom. For his worthiness.

Then the picture changed again.

The figure of my king stood alone on a table in the middle of the desert. And then, he began to sing arias.

And suddenly, dozens of circles of light with an emblem on them appeared in the sky, causing destruction around my king.

Wind, lightning, fire, ice and other elements began to destroy everything, coming out of the circles. And their numbers increased and increased.

My hair and clothes were fluttering from the strong wind. But I wasn't paying attention to it. My body just refused to obey me and forced me to watch this destruction in its purest form.

- Amazing..." I whispered.

When the magical bombardment finally stopped, the once peaceful desert turned into an inferno. Huge holes and cuts split the ground. Flames burned what they could not burn. Ice covered the land when it shouldn't have. And hurricanes swirled around the lone figure, threatening to take everything away.

A satisfied smile appeared on my king's face. He waved his hand and it all disappeared. It was as if hell had not unfolded in the middle of the desert a moment ago.

- King of Magic... - again something told me what I was seeing.

Was it all an illusion? No. I could feel the heat and cold that this inferno was emitting. It wasn't an illusion... Then, how did it all disappear with just one wave of my hand?

My mind just couldn't comprehend it...

And then I was back on the hill, where my king was still standing there, looking at the city below.

It... it was so breathtaking. He wasn't Azor Ahai. No, no, no. He was big... In Westeros, he was... a God... Perhaps even more powerful than the Lord of Light himself....

And as I wondered how I could escape these visions, my ears caught the words.

- Help him. Give him the support I never had. And let him be himself.

Turning sharply toward the edge, so sharply that I thought I heard my neck crunch, my eyes saw Lord Solomon looking straight at me.

H-how is that possible?! These are visions, pictures of the past! Why is he looking directly at me?!

My heart sank with shock and fear. But still I wanted to get cloSir to him and ask him why he could see me, and why I was seeing all this, but... my body refused to obey me. And realizing that I could still speak, I tried to ask him a question. 

- What are you-" But before I could finish, he waved his hand, and I was thrown out of my visions, back to the gates of Winterfell.

A sudden rush of exhaustion filled my body and mind. And unable to bear it, I passed out. And the sad smile of the man from the visions remained in my mind.

End of memory.

-0-

Ah... It was so exciting...

I furtively looked at my king and smiled softly.

"Help him. Become the support for him that I didn't have. And let him be himself, right?"

Help him? Become a pillar? Let him be himself? The words are as vague as the rest of the prophecy. But... But I will fulfill this mission, even if it's the last thing I do in my life.

- Hmm? Kinvara? - Apparently noticing my gaze, my king asked and raised his head. - Is something wrong? And you're smiling strangely.

- Nothing, my king. I'm just happy that I can be of service to you," I replied, still with a smile on my face.

- Good," he shrugged and went back to thinking.

Yes. I'll do it, whatever it takes.

-0-

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