Questioning and Talking to the Warden of the North About a Problem

Without waiting for Catelyn to answer me, I walked over near to Bran before kneeling down and putting a hand on his Direwolves head. Stroking the little grey thing's head, I looked up at Catelyn, "Is this a Direwolf, Lady Catelyn?" I asked, a polite smile on my face.

She looked shocked for a moment, seemingly taken aback by my quick change of appearance - from a smiling prince in armor, to someone kneeling on the muddy ground to stroke a dog. Or a wolf, in this case. But she soon got over her shock and smiled back at me, "Yes, it's a Direwolf, Prince Damien," she said and I continued to ruffle the wolf's soft fur.

It didn't react badly to my presence, but I could feel a slight amount of fear from it. Seems it's instincts are making it wary of me, huh?

"Where did you find them? There aren't too many Direwolves south of the Wall," I mused, stroking the wolf one last time before I stood up.

"My husband found a dead Direwolf and next to it, 6 pups. One for each of his children," she smilingly explained.

Hearing her, I quickly carried on as I already knew all this. I was only asking these questions so it I didn't bring suspicion to me on how I knew what I knew. "And did he tell you how that Direwolf died? Or not?" I asked, having a bad feeling that the Direwolf mother hadn't died the same way as it did in the show.

Especially if that faint scent was right, it most likely died to a more dangerous creature than a Stag.

Shaking her head, she frowned as she replied, "No, he did not tell me, Prince Damien. Is there a reason for all these questions?" she asked, seemingly worried.

"I...After your husband and my father are done speaking, I will need to speak to Lord Stark. I have reason to believe that there's something dangerous in the woods near Winterfell. You and your children are safe in Winterfell, so please do not worry," I said this in a low voice, not alerting anyone but Catelyn and Robb who was right next to her.

From how Sansa was going a little pale, I think she may have heard as well, but I didn't dwell on it, and continued to personally greet the others.

Gods, why did monsters have to be added to this world? It was so much easier when I believed I was the only thing from the Witcher Universe in this world...

. . .

Looking down at the medallion in my hand, I messed around with the metal Lion head. It looked similar in style to Geralt's medallion - aka sharp and rough-looking - yet instead of red eyes, it had yellow one's and it also had a more pronounced mane than Geralt's wolf medallion.

The method to make this was given to me when I was 11 by the system, saying that every Witcher needs a medallion. Unlike the medallions from the games, my medallion detects monster no matter whether they're to do with magic or not. Which is a boon, honestly.

The way to make it was to inscribe a special set of runes on an ingot of silver. The runes were things I gained as my second Intelligence perk, allowing me to give minor enchantments to my armor and weapons. Nothing too big, only minor sharpness and durability increases, but also allowed me to enchant things with monster repellent runes, or runes to detect monsters. I could even enchant normal steel weapons to hurt monsters that usually required silver or Valerian steel, so, who knows if I could do the same for the Wights and the White Walkers?

Hopefully I can. And if not? Oh well, I know where the Dragon Glass is, so I can just get that.

The cast for the medallion was also inscribed by me, but that was just to boost the effects of the runes on the silver ingot. Getting the cast and the people necessary to make the medallion wasn't hard either. All I had to do was asked my grandfather and it was all sorted out for me. He especially liked that I wanted the cast in the shape of a Lion rather than a Stag.

Not that he'd know that I know about my true origins. I don't even think he knew about Jaime's and Cersei's incestuous relationship anyway.

Whatever. The systems also said that I had to have it as a Lion because apparently I'm the progenitor of the School of the Lion. So, I just did what was asked of me, and made the medallion into one in the shape of a Lion.

The yellow eyes of the dark silver medallion are because of the runes I added, apparently.

That's what the system said, anyway.

As the door to my left was opened, I was brought out of my thoughts and put my medallion back on, tucking it under my shirt. Standing up I smiled at the person entering the room, "Lord Stark, it's a pleasure to meet you. I don't think I've heard anything bad about you from my father," I said, putting out a hand to shake his hand in greeting.

I respected Ned Stark, honestly. He may be an honor-bound idiot, but it takes a good man to stick to his ideals, even if that means death. It's stupid, sure, but respectable nonetheless.

Seeing my greeting, Ned awkwardly grabbed my hand and shook it, obviously not expecting a prince to offer to shake his hand, "The pleasure is all mine, Prince Damien. News of the eldest prince becoming the youngest Kingsguard in Westeros history has reached the North long ago, congratulations," he smiled and bowed his head, before another man walked in behind him, slapping him on the back.

"Don't inflate the boy's ego, Ned!" Robert laughed before turning to me, "And don't make me seem soft - I've told you all about how gloomy and serious Ned is!" he laughed again before sitting down, Ned smiling and following after him. Seeing the two of them sit, I did the same and Robert spoke up again, "You asked us here, Damien? What for?" he asked curiously.

Taking a deep breath, I sighed before looking at Ned, "Lord Stark, what killed the Direwolf mother you found?" I asked, my smile gone and my voice and face serious.

Seeing me go serious, Robert also went serious. Rarely do I ever get serious, and one of the only things I ever get serious about? Monsters. So, he now knew this was a serious ordeal.

Ned seemed taken aback by my question for a few seconds before he replied, "Well...at first we thought it had been killed by an Elk. But it's stomach had been ripped open and it's head was cracked open and one of it's legs was gone...so we suspected that it was something else. Do you have an idea on what it could be, my prince?" he asked, genuinely sincere on wanting my opinion.

"When you got to the corpse, did you smell anything particular? Other than the dead body of course," I asked, my expression getting even grimmer. I already had a faint idea on what it could be, but the information about there being a leg missing and it's stomach being ripped open...made me slightly confused.

Ned went into a thinking pose, "Hm..." he hummed, his hand scratching his chin, "There was something odd about the smell of the area...like rotten eggs. That's how I'd put it, Prince Damien," he said, and from the self-assured look in his eyes, he was sure of his answer.

"Bollocks..." I swore, bringing a hand over my face. I felt someone sneaking a peek into the room - two people to be exact - and from their smell, I could tell that it was Arya and Sansa. But I didn't care for their presence and just looked at Ned, "Lord Stark...it appears that you have a Troll problem nearby. Is it possible that you could take me to the location of where you found the pups? Not tonight, but tomorrow," I asked, a slightly annoyed tone to my voice.

Coming up North was supposed to be a slight break, even if the plot was about to start. I'd just sorted out a Bruxa problem before coming here, and now I've got more work. Bloody typical.

Well, at least I'll get enough points from this to get some upgrades, maybe even a perk.

"A Troll problem?" Ned asked with a slightly shocked face, "Are you sure, Prince Damien?" he asked, his face slightly paling before he continued on, "The Northerners before me apparently hunted the Trolls to extinction. How could there be a Troll this close to Winterfell?"

Shrugging, I gave a reply, "I don't know. Might have migrated from down South. If we're unlucky enough it's an Ice Troll and it came from up North. An Ice Troll would have no problem getting around that wall of ice," I mused before standing up and carrying on, "I'll hunt it. Wouldn't be the first Troll I've had to take down. So, please don't worry Lord Stark," as I said this, I looked toward the two of them, wanting to know their thoughts on the subject.

"I...I couldn't ask you to sort out the problems of my land, my prince," Ned started, his honor and tiny bit of pride probably getting in the way, "Please, let me sort this out," he bowed his head in respect, not wanting to offend me, I presume.

Waving my hand, I gave him a curt reply, "And let you get people killed? I'm afraid not, Lord Stark," I shook my head when looked up at me, and even Robert put a hand on Ned's shoulder.

"Let the boy take care of it, Ned. He wasn't lying when he said he's sorted out problems like this before," he said to his friend before looking to me, "And show some respect, Damien," he reprimanded before carrying on, "You'll be taking some of the Guards. From the Starks and the royal guards. Understood?" seeing his serious face, I knew he wouldn't let up on this, so I sighed.

"Yes, father. But the group has to stay small," I said before looking to Ned, "You can come with me as well, if you want, Lord Stark. There should be no dishonor in it for you if we defeat the Troll together, no?" I asked, knowing that now that I'd offered this, he wouldn't be able to deny me.

Nodding, Ned stood up before smiling at me, his earlier discomfort gone, "Thank you, my prince. We will set off early tomorrow for the location of where we found the pups. We can track it from there - I'll bring the hounds--" I cut him off with a raised hand.

"That won't be necessary, Lord Stark. The hounds will get scared of the scent and won't be any use. I can track it well enough on my own, so we'll be fine," I informed him with a smile, and he could only nod awkwardly with Robert smiling at his friends awkward look, probably not used to seeing Ned with such an embarrassed look.

"Then I'm going to excuse myself, Lord Stark, father," I nodded to the two of them before turning to the door and opening it, showing Sansa and Arya who'd been staring in and eavesdropping on the conversation.

Ned saw the two of them and quickly walked over to them, "Sansa, Arya!" he gave a low shout that was more like a loud whisper, "What are you doing here?" he questioned before turning to me, "I'm sorry they listened in on us, Prince Damien," he looked worriedly at me, which confused me:

Does he think I'm like Joffrey?

Well, that's insulting.

"There's nothing to be sorry about. They were only being curious," I smilingly replied, trying to offset his seemingly wrong opinions about me. I'm not the nicest but I'm not that bad. Turning to Sansa and Arya, I smiled before gesturing with my arms, "Excuse me, ladies, I'm trying to get through so I can prepare for the feast later."

Sansa, who'd went red with embarrassment at getting caught, bowed before backing up swiftly. Arya, on the other hand, back up a little but looked up at me with curiosity.

Seeing her curiosity, I looked down at her, "Do you have something you want to ask, Lady Arya?"

"Mhm," she nodded, "Is it true that you've fought Trolls before? What about vampires and werewolves? Do you think I could fight a monster if I trained enough?" she fired off questions like a machine gun and I couldn't help but smirk at her enthusiasm.

Her father looked a bit outraged by her forwardness, and Sansa looked even more embarrassed that she had a sister who was so tomboyish. But before she got told off, I gave my answer with a shrug.

"Yes, I've fought Trolls before. Vampires aren't called Vampires either, the real name for them is Bruxa. Though I've never fought a Werewolf, I've killed a Werecat," I mused, seeing admiration and awe growing in the young Stark's eyes. Seeing her interest in the subject, I carried on, "I can tell you more about it later at the feast, if you want?" I asked.

Arya started nodding quite rapidly, smiling with excitement clear on her face. Sansa, seemingly annoyed with her sister for getting to talk to me more than she could, so I smiled and looked over at her, "I can fill you in on such things as well, if you want, Lady Sansa?"

My words wiped her annoyance away, and she smiled sweetly at me, "I would enjoy that very much, my prince," she did a curtsy as she spoke, and I nodded before bidding them farewell, with my father smiling at my interaction with Sansa. I heard him whisper something about how I had his charisma. I guess I learnt it from him. He did take to wooing a lot of women back in his time. That, and my Uncle Tyrion was a pretty bad influence on me.

Anyway, as I walked away from the room where I'd met with them, I opened up my status to have one look at it before I started some 'light' practice so my skills didn't dull.

[Name: Damien Baratheon (Lannister)]

[Age: 16]

[Physique: Lv3]

[Skills: Swordsmanship (Lv7), Dagger Proficiency (Lv6), Hand-to-Hand (Lv6), Dual-Wielding (Lv7)]

[Perks: 8 (+)]

[Mutagen Points: 1790]

[Upgrade and Perk Menu - Y/N]

Opening up my perk section, I read through the new perks I'd gained.

[True Grit (Conditional-Active)(Lv1 Perk) - +50% Physical Strength and Toughness, +50% Vitality and Healing Ability, Complete Immunity to Bleeding (Perk can only be active when you're badly injured)]

[Altered Perception (Passive)(Lv1 Perk) - +50% Reaction Time and Agility, +50% Senses]

[Fast Metabolism (Passive)(Lv1 Perk) - +30% Recovery Ability, +30% Physical and Mental Stamina]

[Greater Knowledge (Passive)(Lv1 Perk) - Knowledge of Lower Level Runes, +10% Sign Intensity and Power]

Those are the Strength, Dexterity, Stamina, and Intelligence perks, respectively. Each costing 150 points each.

The perk tree worked like this - There are five levels for each of the perks, with the first level having two perks (the starter perk and an ability perk). To get to the next level aka Lv2 perks, you need to buy the two perks on the Lv1 part of the tree. Then you can get the intro perk into the Lv2 part of the tree, then the same applies if you want to get to Lv3 perks - you need to buy all the Lv2 perks.

My level three physique was also a major boost to my power. If level two gave me a body that was the peak a human could train themselves to be e.g. like Batman, then level three put me beyond what a human could do. So, I went from Batman-level, to Captain America-level.

Overall, the physique upgrade, plus the perks, puts me well above a normal human. Even the soldiers who spend their entire lives training their bodies can't match up to me even if I use half of my strength and speed.

Though when it comes to monsters, there are still plenty of monsters either faster or stronger than me. Which means that I still need to strive for improvements. So, after I take out the Troll along with the Starks, I should be able to get my next physique upgrade.

For now, though? I had some physical conditioning to do.

Sadly, my body did require training to stay in tip-top and optimal shape. But it was fun in it's own way. At least I can expect a bountiful feast to refill my energy later.

(A/N - Some of you need to hold your horses.

Joffrey's a prick, I know, but Damien can't just kill him out of no where. He'd get found out stunningly quickly by Varys or Littlefinger, and either get blackmailed or killed for his actions, depending on what they did with the information.

This is GoT where sometimes you need to allow the existence of some people just so you can kill them later without getting killed yourself.)