Chapter 14

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The royal procession travelled through the wide South Gate of Winterfell, which is the main entrance to the castle. Ahead of them rode the royal guards, along with a smarmy, blond-haired young man whose arrogant smile was slightly annoying.

Next, a closed carriage with beautiful wood carvings entered Winterfell's courtyard. Soon enough, the king himself entered the Stark manor on his horse.

Theon, standing at the front, close to the Lord of Winterfell's children, could see with his own eyes how much the king had changed. When he had feasted in the great hall of Pyke, he had had some plumpness, but it had not been noticeable at a glance.

But now, the Trident Demon resembled a thick barrel that had been filled to the brim with wine. The thick growth on his face, careless, clearly not looked after by his master. Thick, slightly red cheeks and the same cheerful blue eyes. He was dressed in an ornate duplet that could not hide his bulging belly, and on his head rested a crown with protruding prongs in the shape of deer antlers.

A small step ladder was placed under his feet, which enabled the king to dismount from his horse and dismount to the ground.

With a few wide strides he approached Eddard Stark, who was on one knee.

-You're getting fat. - Robert said with a smile. There was silence. Everyone raised their heads in bewilderment, looking at the king.

There was laughter, first from Robert and then from his friend Stark. They hugged each other and began to talk to each other.

-"Where have you been, Ned? Nine years in King's Landing, smelling the stench of King's Landing.

-"Guarding the North for you, my lord.

-Come on, Ned. - Baratheon laughed again. - Take me to the crypt, Ned. I want to see her. - Robert's face lost all its smile and cheerfulness, and there was a lingering sadness in his blue eyes.

It was as if Baratheon hadn't heard all the queen's words about rest, and Stark led him into the crypt of Winterfell.

Lady Catelyn immediately set about arranging for her guests. Theon could see the queen looking haughtily at the Stark fortress itself, constantly glancing over at one white-robed man who had hair like the queen's, as if the colour of ripe wheat.

' Jaime Lannister, one of the Kingsguard and brother of the Queen. Has the nickname Kingslayer.' - Theon thought, looking at the guardsman. Apparently Lannister sensed Greyjoy's gaze and looked at him, lips curling mockingly. Theon looked away and followed Robb as he left.

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The next day, a feast began in Winterfell to celebrate the king's coming. The servants of Winterfell had pulled all the wine and ale from the cellars, and the hunters had caught many stags and boars, all to feed the king and his court.

Theon sat on a high platform as heir to the Iron Islands. He sat on the very edge, reminiscent of Barrowton. He only touched a little of the strong drink and ate as much food as his body demanded.

Next to him, standing on the table, Cicero savoured a handful of grains. Many of the royal retinue looked at him with curiosity. The royal prince and princess, Tommen and Myrcella, especially liked him.

Arya sat next to him, and aside from her sat Prince Tommen, a pink-cheeked and chubby boy with the same blond hair as his mother.

The parrot yielded to Arya and Sansa's hand without caprice. It was unknown why the female Starks were more at ease with him than the males. Theon had even seen the parrot petting Lady Catelyn, but after his antics with Bran, she had treated the parrot with coldness, constantly waving him away.

- It's beautiful! - Tommen stroked it, looking at Cicero mesmerised. It did not resist in any way, but after a few strokes, moved away abruptly.

- N-don't t-t-touch me, you unworthy one! - barked the parrot.

Tommen was startled by the parrot's voice and looked questioningly at Theon. Theon smiled at the prince and said:

-He has a bad temper, prince. So don't take offence to him, Lord Stark is no match for him. - The boy smiled back and looked at Cicero differently.

- What is his name? - he asked another question.

-Cicero. - Arya, who had been silent until then, spoke up. - He loves me, too,' she snorted and calmly stroked the parrot. The parrot did not show any displeasure, and on the contrary, he put his head forward a little, asking for more caresses. Tommen tried to pet the parrot again, but almost got his beak on his hand.

Theon felt the stare of one of the royal guards standing nearby. Apparently he was assigned to the prince, and he was watching what was going on near him.

But he did not interfere, not seeing that the prince was in any danger. He only smiled at the parrot's attempt to claw him, but did not touch him further.

Theon was bored - the feast would probably go on until the middle of the night, and he had nothing to do - he'd seen Snow drinking with the young squires, boasting of his alcoholic stamina, and Robb was still sulking at him for that incident.

Remembering how Robb and Jon had woken up in arms with maids named Bessa and Kyra a few weeks ago, Theon smiled inwardly. He had successfully managed to get Lord Stark's two sons drunk and invited the two tavern maids to join their feast. Word of mouth, and in the morning, Stark and Snow were in for an unpleasant surprise. Or was it a pleasant one?

Oh, how much shouting he'd had to endure from Robb's mother and the disgruntled gaze of Winterfell's master for days. But if Eddard Stark accepted it and even found advantages in such a situation, Catelyn Tully was still furious about it....

But Theon did not go unpunished - he was forbidden to go to Winterfell or the Wolfswood, where he often went alone to hunt. For Greyjoy, this was no big deal. Although, a few weeks of abstinence from female caresses in a brothel was a little saddening.

Carefully leaving the high platform, he headed for the library to pass the time with his books. A parrot followed him, flying somewhere under the ceiling of the hall.

He left the Great Hall and went to the library tower. It was already quite dark outside. Stepping carefully over the dirt and mud, he could see the common guardsmen and servants of Winterfell celebrating inside the castle as well. Lord Stark had been generous enough to allow them in honour of King Robert's arrival.

Passing the forge and stables, Greyjoy entered the library tower. He was followed by his pet.

There were countless bookshelves, countless bookshelves. Maester Luwin had said that there were over a hundred thousand books here, and Theon had believed him.

He was about to start reading another book, even picked up a particular one about the Free People and the lands of the Outlands. But he was not alone.

- That's an interesting bird you've got there. - came a voice with a curious note.

The parrot, which had landed on one of the bookshelves, shrieked:

-K-dwarf! K-dwarf!

-And quite clever. - the voice added.

Theon tore his gaze away from the book - he hadn't noticed the intruder. And he didn't like it. He looked at the queen's other brother, Tyrion Lannister.

He was four feet tall, practically under Theon's waist. Crooked legs, a large and misshapen head, almost white blond hair mixed with black. Multicoloured eyes stared at Greyjoy, one black, the other green.

-Tyrion Lannister, right? - The dwarf wanted to say something, but Theon continued quickly. - I didn't expect to see you here.

-Books are my favourite hobby,' the dwarf smiled. - The Winterfell Library is one of the largest in Westeros, if not the world. Only the Citadel can rival it.

- You can rest assured of that,' Baelon's son answered the dwarf. - I've been here almost ten years, and I haven't even read half the library yet.

-So you like books, too? - Lannister asked rhetorically and then continued. - And your name is Theon Greyjoy? The hostage of House Stark?

Theon nodded, not offended in the least. No offence taken at the truth, Lord Stark's ward thought.

- Hm, you're not offended? I thought it sounded humiliating to you. The heir to the Iron Islands is locked up in Winterfell, waiting for his rebel father to die. Doesn't that sound pretty insulting?

- There's no point in taking offence at the truth,' Theon shrugged. - You can't change what you've done.

-Good words. - smiled at the dwarf. - And let me ask you, where did you get that bird? There's no such thing in Westeros.

-From the Summer Isles. - Greyjoy replied succinctly. He was beginning to get bored with this conversation. The dwarf was clearly bored and having fun at Theon's expense.

- A clever bird that can talk. - Tyrion shook his head. - Does your pet have a name?

-Cicero. And I advise you not to try to pet him. He'll peck you with his beak.

Tyrion looked at the harmless-looking, colourful bird with some doubt. But all doubt vanished when he began to speak again:

-Only t-touch me, dwarf! I'll b-bark you in the back! I'll poke your eye out!

-How tongue-tied. -cocked Lannister. - Did you teach him?

- I did, and then he learnt the words himself from different people. - Greyjoy looked down at the open book on the Free Folk and the Outlands with some regret. It was unlikely he would be able to read it tonight. The book was quite large, which was rare, and it was written in interesting language. The author was obviously talented, even if he was a Maester.

- I see I'm interrupting your reading. - Tyrion said. - Perhaps you could suggest a book I might find interesting, and I'll leave you alone.

Theon rose quickly from his chair and walked over to one of the shelves. In his hands was an ancient book in a beautiful binding with many patterns as dragons.

- One of the translated books from Valyria itself. Written by some ancient patriarch of one of the powerful clans of Valyria. There's no such book anywhere but Winterfell.

-What is it about? - Tyrion accepted the book cautiously.

-About dragons.

The book itself seemed cut off, as if someone had torn whole pages out of it. I wondered if Tyrion would realise that.

He looked thoughtfully at the book and walked away, leaving Theon alone.

Greyjoy went on with his interrupted task of reading about the Free Folk and the lands beyond the Wall.

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-Come on, Ned! Let's remember how we used to butcher boars when we were young! - The king laughed loudly, patting the Winterfell host on the back with his broad palm.

The horse procession rode out of Winterfell, heading for the Wolfswood to hunt. Theon rode beside an irritated Robb, wolfishly glaring at Prince Joffrey. Recent events had shown what the Baratheon heir was made of. An arrogant prick who can't even lift a blade--and this is the son of a Trident Demon? The Seven Kingdoms are in for some truly difficult times.

They had not reached the forest until they saw a rider catching up with them. It was a messenger from Winterfell.

-Your Majesty, Lord Stark. - the messenger began with excitement in his voice. - Lord Stark...your son...Lord Brandon has fallen from the ruined tower.

Eddard's face petrified and the merriment drained from the king.

-Ned, I think we should go back.

-Yes, Robert. We must return immediately. - The Lord of Winterfell nodded gratefully to the king and their mounted column turned back to return to Winterfell.