WiSh - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Prophecy Comes True

Eddard looked at Catelyn: "Catelyn, Will says he encountered the Others..."

"Ned, do you believe it? The Others?" Catelyn said.

Ned was Eddard's nickname, used only by Catelyn and Old Nan. Catelyn was used to calling him Ned, a term of endearment between husband and wife that had become part of their life.

Eddard, the man, only called Catelyn "Kate" when they were alone, similar to how Catelyn's father, Hoster Tully, called her.

"I don't believe in the Others." Eddard shook his head. "The Others have disappeared, like the Children of the Forest, no longer existing."

"If you don't believe, why did you bring him to the godswood?"

"He believes in the gods of the First Men, and he has received some fragments of prophecy, some metaphors in dreams. I wanted to see if the heart tree could give me some divine inspiration."

"What metaphors in dreams?"

"The stag's compassion, three wolves heading south." Eddard concealed the information about the prophecy fragments related to Jon Snow that Will had told him. The implications of dragons, wolves, and giant pillars, and any prophecy about Jon Snow, were safest kept in his heart. "King Robert's sigil is a stag, our sigil is the direwolf. I brought him here hoping to receive divine inspiration from the heart tree to unravel the meaning of this prophecy."

Catelyn was visibly taken aback, and she exchanged a glance with Maester Luwin. This prophecy surprisingly matched the news she had just received. Maester Luwin nodded slightly, and Catelyn said gently, "Dear, I don't know how to tell you this, but I must. Maester Luwin and I have just received a message from King's Landing by raven. Jon Arryn has passed away."

Eddard hesitated: "Jon... has passed away? Is the news true?"

"A letter in King Robert's own hand, sealed with the royal seal."

Eddard fell silent!

The sudden death of Jon Arryn, who had been like a second father to him, left Eddard with indescribable sorrow. Catelyn slowly walked over and gently took Eddard's hand. Her beautiful eyes were filled with tenderness, and the sorrow on her face was heart-wrenching.

After a while, Eddard's gaze slowly turned to Will Cao, his feelings complex and painful.

Jon Arryn was the foster father of Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon, and the three of them shared a bond like that of father and sons.

Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon grew up in Jon Arryn's Eyrie, where Jon Arryn not only hired the best sword masters to teach them combat but also personally taught them to read, doting on them like a father.

Back then, Crown Prince Rhaegar abducted Robert's betrothed, Lyanna Stark, and Eddard's brother Brandon, known as the Wild Wolf for his bravery, stormed the Red Keep demanding Rhaegar return his sister. However, Rhaegar was not in the keep; he had taken Lyanna to the Tower of Joy in Dorne.

Brandon's reckless actions angered the Mad King, Aerys II Targaryen, who had him executed.

Following this, the Mad King burned Eddard's father, Rickard Stark, and turned his wrath on Eddard and Robert. The Mad King demanded Jon Arryn hand over Eddard and Robert's heads, but Jon Arryn refused. To protect his foster sons, he rose in rebellion against the Mad King.

Jon Arryn's rebellion was to secure the support of the Tully family's army from Riverrun. Jon Arryn married Catelyn's sister, Lysa Tully, and Eddard also married his brother's betrothed, now his wife, Catelyn Tully. The two men married a pair of sisters, transforming their father-son relationship into that of brothers-in-law, but their familial bond deepened through the fires of war.

Robert also held Jon Arryn in the highest regard, treating him as a father. After Robert killed Rhaegar on the Trident and became king, he chose no one from his own family to be his Hand, only Jon Arryn. In all of King's Landing, Jon Arryn was the only one who could restrain the willful King Robert.

Eddard and Robert were as close as brothers, but their influence over Robert was limited. Besides Jon Arryn, no one could advise or restrain King Robert.

Jon Arryn's passing left King Robert and Eddard equally grief-stricken. The bond between these three men was closer than that of blood relatives.

Maester Luwin, with his vast knowledge, was brought to the godswood by Eddard in the hope that his wisdom could interpret the prophecy Will spoke of. Now, with the mysterious prediction coming true and Jon Arryn's death, King Robert's sorrow matched the prophecy of the stag's compassion.

Eddard finally said, "Catelyn, what about your sister Lysa?"

"King Robert's letter says Lysa has returned to the Eyrie with her child and guards."

"The Eyrie? Why did she go back there? There are no family members for her there."

"Yes, I would rather she returned to Riverrun, where her brother and father are."

"Then take the children to the Eyrie to keep her company. She shouldn't be alone in her grief."

"I want to go, but I can't right now."

"Why?"

"The letter says the king is on his way to Winterfell."

"Robert is coming?" Eddard's sorrow was somewhat alleviated; it had been nine years since he last saw Robert. They had grown up together as brothers and fought side by side in battle.

"Yes, the letter says Robert wants to discuss state affairs with you."

"State affairs?" Eddard looked at Will Cao, no longer doubting him.

With Jon Arryn's passing, Robert had lost his most respected foster father, leaving only Eddard and Robert from the trio that was closer than blood.

Robert's visit was undoubtedly to ask Eddard to go to King's Landing to help him govern the realm, a so-called discussion of state affairs. As king, Robert's word was law, and a simple raven could summon a lord to King's Landing for talks. However, he chose to make the journey himself, indicating Eddard's status in his eyes and his understanding of Eddard. A letter alone would not be enough to persuade Eddard, who was indifferent to fame and fortune and content in his corner of the realm.

If Eddard defied the king's orders, given their close relationship, Robert could only curse and jump, but he would be powerless against Eddard. However, with Robert coming in person, the situation changed. Once the king arrived, Eddard would have to go, whether he wanted to or not.

Eddard's gaze met Will's, and he understood the metaphor of the three wolves heading south. The wolves referred to the Starks, and the three could be an actual number or a symbolic one. In any case, with the Hand of the King, Jon Arryn, deceased, members of the Stark family would have to accompany the king to King's Landing.

Will saw in Eddard's eyes that he had understood the meaning of the three wolves heading south.

Will breathed a sigh of relief: His prophecy was not false.

His head was safe.

Eddard Stark said, "Maester Luwin, the king is spending two months on this journey, surely not just for fun. What do you make of the king's visit north?"

"The king has come to invite you to King's Landing to be his Hand," Maester Luwin said.

"Three wolves heading south!" Eddard Stark said slowly.

Maester Luwin nodded: "The metaphor of the stag's compassion and three wolves heading south has all been fulfilled, Will. In the name of the old gods, are you a warg?"

It is said that one warg is born among ten thousand people (in the original text, it is one in a thousand, which would mean wargs are quite common). Wargs can attach themselves to animals to observe the world, and those who have cultivated their abilities can also see fragments of the future. Even more powerful than wargs are the greenseers. In the Seven Kingdoms, both wargs and greenseers have appeared in King's Landing and the Night's Watch camps.

"I am not a warg, my lord," Will said with a slight bow, exuding knightly demeanor. "I am merely following the instructions of the prophecy in my dreams. I am not a warg myself." As he spoke, Will once again saw the pair of grayish-brown eyes in the heart tree's eyes. Those eyes were incredibly serene, reminiscent of ancient mountains.

"Then the Others you spoke of, are they real?" Catelyn's voice was strange.

Eddard and Catelyn's hands were clasped together, and he felt Catelyn's hand trembling slightly.