Going North II

(3rd Person POV)

Robert is moving through the battlefield like the wind. He doesn't stay in one place for longer than a few seconds and kills or incapacitates anyone who stands in his way. His ability to keep track of his surroundings while fighting is what allows him to dominate right now. Unlike the soldiers accompanying him, he is not wearing heavy armour. He is wearing leather armour and something he can move comfortably in. 

Robert moves his upper body a bit back and evades another sword swing. He turns and grabs the hand of a man trying to impale him. Using his own rotation, he swings the man and throws him into another approaching clansman. He swings his sword while dodging the attacks coming his way. 

*SWING*

He cuts off the arm of one clansman and takes his sword in his second free hand, giving Robert two swords now. The lower arm of the man is still sticking to the handle, but that doesn't matter to Robert. He goes on the offensive and runs towards a bigger group of clansmen. He begins to cut them down, targeting their vital areas and moving like water through the stony terrain.

*CLING*

*CLANG*

*SHING*

*CLING CLING*

"AAAAHHH"

"NO!"

He is like a tornado in a trailer park, leaving nothing but destruction and death in his wake. 

.

The group accompanying Robert is not faring as good as Robert. They have a big advantage in their equipment but in terms of numbers, they are heavily outmatched. It doesn't matter though, as Robert is getting most of the attention. The soldiers see the martial prowess of Robert and can't help but admire him. They see the blood he sheds without a change in his expression. 

As the fight progressed their way of fighting changed. Where they were fighting individually before, they were now fighting as a group, as a unit. They tried to follow Robert to protect him, but they realised that that was not possible. It was smarter for them to protect one another and let Robert go nuts on his own. If Robert died though, they would all die as well, as they would be executed for abandoning their liege lord. A paradox no doubt. 

Gregory had a leading role in the group and was also the best swordsman. 

"Push forward! Ronald, to your left!", he shouts and blocks an attack from a mountain clansman. 

He pushes the man back and plunges his sword into his chest. He is panting heavily as the fight is getting to him. As he allows himself a second of rest to catch his breath, he hears the high-pitched sound of an arrow flying through the air. He looks in front and sees his death approach...

*WOOSH*

*THUD*

The body of a man suddenly appears in his field of vision and blocks the arrow coming his way. Confused, Gregory looks to the left where the body came from and sees Robert jumping back into the fight. His lord saved him from certain death. He takes a deep breath and concentrates again. The fight was not over yet. 

.

Robert cut another man down and now stood in front of the tallest of the clansmen. 

"Thrain son of Thrann, we meet again."

"You are a monster on the battlefield. I now understand your arrogance, boy. But you will die here non-"

*Clang*

Robert doesn't listen to the villainous speech and simply attacks the man. He slashes his blades at the tall man and tries to injure him by targeting the narrow spaces between his armour. Thrain is the best-equipped man among the mountain clansmen. Robert blocks a powerful strike of Thrain's sword and attacks with his other one. 

Thrain blocks the attack with his shield and tries to use his bigger body to throw Robert off balance. But Robert is far stronger than he looks and moves back. He uses his higher speed to move around Thrain and attack him from different sides nimbly. But Thrain is an experienced fighter in his own right and manages to keep up for some time. 

*CLANG*

*BANG*

Finally, Robert sees a good opening and moves quickly. He slashes his left blade towards Thrain's head, causing the tall man to bend backwards a bit and block the attack with his shield. This changes his centre of gravity and allows Robert to move underneath the shield and plunge his right sword into the man's thigh. 

*CRUNCH*

"AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!! Curse you!!", Thrain screams in pain as his leg is nailed to the ground by the sword. He can't move as his brain is assaulted with too much brain. 

"A good fight, Thrain son of Thrann. Farewell."

*SHING*

With a final slice, Robert cuts off the man's head, effectively ending the fight and winning an overwhelming victory. 

.

.

(Eddard Stark POV)

"Lord Eddard, Lord Jon requests your presence in his solar.", a servant tells me as I train my swordsmanship. 

"Thank you. I'll go right away.", I say. 

I put back the training sword and my training clothes and go to get cleaned. To think that it has been almost a year since I last saw Robert. We have been waiting for news of Robert for a while now and a sennight ago, the raven finally arrived from Storm's End. I have been waiting to go back to Winterfell and introduce Robert, my best friend to my family. 

I arrive at Jon's solar and knock. 

*knock knock knock*

"Come in."

I open the door and see Jon sitting at his desk. 

"Ah, Ned you're here good. I just got notice. It seems that Robert will be here any moment now. His group has had an encounter with a mountain clan.", Jon tells me. 

"What? Are they alright? Is Rob injured?", I ask worriedly. 

"No. None of the people in his group died. There are some injuries, but that is all. The victory seems to have been overwhelming. I have sent people to see things and make sure no more attacks take place."

"When will he-"

*knock knock knock*

"Yes?"

"My Lord. Lord Robert Baratheon and his entourage have arrived.", the servant says as he enters the room. 

"Come, Ned, let's go greet them.", Jon says and I nod.

We walk through the castle and arrive where Robert is talking to his men. He has grown again. He was already impressive before, but now ... he looked like a powerful Lord. There was quite a lot of blood on his clothes, surely from the mountain clansmen he killed. I move forward.

"Rob!"

"Ned! My friend, look at you all grown up now. 13 name days old Ned Stark ... truly impressive.", Robert says with a smile on his face. 

"You haven't changed.", I smile. 

"Bahaha, of course. Why would I change something that's perfect?", he says and laughs. I can't help but chuckle at his response. He always knows an answer for everything and sometimes I envy him for this talent.

"I heard you had an unfriendly encounter with the mountain clans, Robert. Can you tell us about it?", Jon asks.

"Aye, I can. But how about I get cleaned first and then maybe some food would be nice as well. We didn't suffer any casualties, but there are still a few injured.", Robert speaks clearly and with authority. He has truly grown in the moons we haven't seen each other. 

"Of course, let's go."

.

"So you killed the leader of the Sons of the Tree clan? That is impressive, Robert. And to think that you have barely seen your 14th name day. You are bound to become a formidable Lord in the future.", Jon congratulates Robert on his accomplishments. I can tell that Robert has left out a couple of things. Either to not make us worry or because he doesn't care about them and finds them unimportant. He was never one to brag. 

Father always told me that only weak men care about what others say about them. Only they react to insults as they are too insecure to see the truth of the empty words. Strong men, on the other hand, remain unshaken by the opinions of others. They understand that true strength is not dependent on the validation or criticism of those around them. These men possess an inner confidence that allows them to rise above petty insults and trivial provocations. 

Father says that such men are driven by their own values, not by the judgments of others.

Robert is such a man. I can see it already. I knew it the moment we met. He was 10 when we met but he felt older than that. Nothing seems to faze him, at least I haven't seen anything faze him yet. I dread the day something does get to him, though. 'Ours is the fury' ... the words of House Baratheon.

"So how about it, are we ready to go? I assume you were getting anxious waiting here for me.", Robert says after finishing his story.

"I am ready. I have been for a fortnight now."

"Ah, there it is ... the accusation. You wound me, Ned. I was fighting a deadly battle against terrible mountain clansmen. My life was in danger!!"

"You don't look like someone who has been through a life-and-death battle. I know you are very skilled at fighting and that a few unequipped men.", I say annoyed. 

"I wouldn't call them unequipped. They were just not as well equipped as we were. However, they had to have raided quite a few villages. They weren't as badly equipped as I thought. And judging from their behaviour, they were only getting started.", he says. 

"You think they are planning to attack? But why now? They have been silent for years now and aren't really a threat to us. So why would they do that?", Jon asks. 

"Why would they need a reason to want better living conditions? Their way of living is different from yours. I suggest at least preparing for an attack.", Robert says. 

"Aye, it might not be a bad idea."

.

We finally rode north. I was very excited to finally go back home after all these years. I wrote home almost every week at the start, but it has diminished to once every moon. I can't wait to see my siblings and mother and father again. Brandon is bound to be even stronger now. Lyanna is probably even livelier. I doubt Father managed to tame our she-wolf. 

I look to my left, where Robert is riding. He seems so calm and relaxed in the face of this journey. He was never north of the Eyrie and it will surely be a new experience for him. I am interested to see how he will react to the cold and harsh climate. He might be used to storms, but nothing compares to the harshness of the North. Robert would fit right in, I think. His attitude and way of living are very different from us Northerners but he can make anyone his friend, I think.

"Are you happy, Ned? Finally, you are a grown man of 13 name days and can finally ..."

"Finally what?", I ask him.

"Well, marry of course.", he says smiling. All the colour leaves my face when I hear his words. Oh no ... he's right. I would have to marry soon or at least look for a bride. I doubt I would have to do that though, Father is surely prepared for this. He likes to think about everything in advance. 

"Bahahaha, your face is hilarious. You suddenly turned as grey as your eyes. What a sight!", Robert laughs at me. 

"Oh? Well, what about you then? I heard that the Martells came to Storm's End. And from what you wrote, the eldest daughter, Elia Martell was more than interested in marrying you, no?", I tease him to try and get back at him. But he only continues to laugh at me. 

"Haha, even if that were the case, I would be marrying a dornish beauty with looks that could make the Wall blush.", he says. 

"That pretty?"

"Aye, she's a true dornish flower. A bit shyer than her mother coming from her slightly weaker disposition. But she is not missing anything, I can tell you that."

"Maybe I'll get lucky like that as well.", I say more to myself. 

"Who knows, your fate might have mercy on you.", he shrugs. 

"Let's hope so. As long as my lady wife shares my values, I don't think I'll ever have a problem. Love can come later."

"You should hope for a tolerant wife. We men like to f*ck shit up and the worst thing that can happen to you is a lady wife that holds it against you forever.", Robert says. 

"Are you planning on being unfaithful, Robert? I didn't think you were that kind of man.", I say. 

"What? I am not naive enough to think I don't make mistakes. Everyone does that."

"I wouldn't ever betray my future wife's trust.", I say. 

"Eh, I believe you, but you never know. Nothing is certain."

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No chapter tomorrow