Omen

Gawain looks at Galahad with a soft smile. Galahad became a very good big brother, always taking care of their little brothers and playing with them. Garth and Godric, who are identical in looks (both look a lot like Galahad but with their father's blue eyes) have quite different personalities. Garth is more quiet and calm while Godric is very curious and lively.

Gawain is very proud of them, especially of Galahad.

"Godric, stop pulling my hair!" Galahad looked at the three-year-old toddler with annoyance. He is holding Godric on his lap and feeding him breakfast but the smaller boy seems more interested in playing with Galahad's hair than in the food.

Gawain bursts out laughing earning an annoyed look from his brother.

`Karma is a bitch, Galahad.` With a mischievous smile he feeds Garth porridge with milk.

"Stop laughing Gawain!"

"Sorry, not sorry little brother." Gawain looks at the five year old with a smug smirk and Galahad pouts. "Look how it is done: Garth says Ah!"

"Ah!" The three-year-old opens his mouth wide and eats the porridge happily.

"Come on Godric! Let's show those two how it is done!" Galahad looked at the toddler on his lap with determination. "We can't lose!"

"No!" Godric nods.

And so began another competition between the four brothers. Meanwhile, their mother watched them entertained while she knitted something in the rocking chair by the fire.

The rocking chair was a gift from Gawain for her nameday about two years ago. The redhead's little invention became quite famous in the village and soon all the neighbors wanted one, Gawain worked closely with Bofur to fulfill the many orders and earned quite a few coins.

"Now, now boys. Don't eat too fast and make sure you chew well." She smiles at them. "And Gawain, don't forget to stop by the tavern later to bring that barrel of wine for your father."

Gareth ordered a five liter barrel of wine from Tobias in preparation for his wedding anniversary, in a few days it will be ten years since Gareth and Marian were married.

"Yes, mother." Gawain nods and finishes feeding Godric before leaving the house and going to the smithy.

For three years Gawain has been working in the mornings in the smithy with Willem learning the trade and each day that passes he impresses the veteran blacksmith even more with his talent. Willem often says he has never seen someone learn the trade as quickly as Gawain before and even said that he is glad his son decided to become a bard because thanks to that he got the best apprentice in the entire Reach.

Gawain's family showered him with praise in response and the redhead blushed a color darker than his hair.

ʻI'm an engineer, of course I have an advantage in these things.` That's the justification Gawain gives for avoiding praise, and admittedly for avoiding developing an ego.

For him, learning the blacksmith trade is a means to an end, something that will allow him to create several of "his" inventions; inventions that will help his family to live a more comfortable life. The first one he wants to build is the Norfolk plow, with which they will be able to plow the ground five times faster than with the current plow, not to mention its other advantages.

The Norfolk plow makes deeper furrows in the soil, so the land is aerated more and thus becomes more productive, it also helps to retain moisture and prevent erosion. Another advantage is that it is used quite easily in stony soil and allows the most favorable depth for the seeds to germinate, thus obtaining a higher productivity of the land.

Winter only lasted a year and with spring already here work in the fields will begin shortly, Gawain thinks it is the perfect time to create the new plow but alas he has doubts. In later years he introduced small inventions like the rocking chair but nothing as revolutionary as the Norfolk plow.

Ralof's plow earned his uncle a lot of attention not only in Greenwood but also in the neighboring villages, it is considered something tremendously useful, he doesn't want to think what kind of attention the Norfolk plow will bring... Gawain is truly afraid of standing out too much, he is afraid what will happen if the world finds out how smart he is.

`Maybe it would be better if I wait two or three years before introducing the Norfolk plow. Nine year old is too young.` He greets Willem absently and puts on his leather gloves.

"Do we have something interesting today, Willem?"

"No, boy. Just the usual tools." The blacksmith points to some horseshoes that need to be repaired and one axe that has a missing piece of metal in the blade.

Gawain opens his mouth to say that he will mend the axe but Willem beats him to it.

"I'll take care of the axe, you repair the horseshoes."

"Tsk." The redhead snorts while the blacksmith laughs out loud.

"As a blacksmith in a small village, get used to repairing horseshoes, boy. Those will be your main source of income" Willem smiles at him and starts working.

Gawain sighs and starts to repair the three horseshoes, he finishes before noon and Willem checks his work.

"Good job, boy." Willem pats him on the back. "Soon you'll surpass me in skill! If only I had a daughter..." He mutters the last thing and Gawain pretends he didn't hear it.

His position as Willem's apprentice, his little inventions, his good looks and his attentive and caring personality earned him a lot of attention in the village, the kind of attention the redhead hates: the adults see him as a good match for their daughters.

Apparently being a good older brother convinced many that he would be a good father and every time he walks through the village with his brothers more than one girl his age blushes and starts giggling.

That scares him, a lot.

`I am just nine for God sake! And I will not marry anyone under 20!`

In this world girls are considered old enough to marry as soon as their first period comes, and boys when they reach sexual maturity. It's not unusual to see girls of thirteen or fourteen already married and that disgusts Gawain.

`Fourteen years old is pushing it but any younger is just monstrous, even more so when there is a big age gap.`

Just a year ago Lord Roxton remarried after his first wife died, his new wife is the daughter of a landed Knight and she was just twelve years old by the time of the wedding. Now at thirteen she had her first child, and just thinking of a kid that young having babies makes Gawain sick.

`Roxton is 35! Damn fart!`

Lady Roxton was lucky and the childbirth went relatively well, many other girls in the same situation do not share her luck. Giving birth so young can, and in most cases will, damage a girl's body.

`Rhaella Targaryen is the perfect case. She was thirteen or fourteen when she had Rhaegar and since then she's had who knows how many miscarriages. Of course incest is also a factor in her case.' He visibly flinches with disgust, incest is even worse in his eyes. `Incest and pedophilia, what a world this is.`

Gawain enters the tavern and at a table he sees Balor tuning his lute.

"Balor!" He greets him enthusiastically. "When did you arrive home?"

"Gawain!" Balor gets up and gives him a quick hug before ruffling his hair. "Look at you! Barely a year and you're almost as tall as me!"

Gawain knows that Balor is lying but he still smiles happily. At nine years old, Gawain measures just over 4 feet, while Balor, at nineteen, almost reaches 6 feet.

"Just got back last night, the roads finally thawed enough for me to make the trip." Balor tells him.

Balor left Greenwood last spring, just a few months after the work in the meadow ended, and he's roamed the Reach as a traveling bard ever since. Every several months he returns to Greenwood and entertains them with his songs and brings them news of what is happening in the rest of the continent.

"Gawain, here is your father's wine barrel." Tobias places a barrel half the boy's size on the counter. "Are you sure you can carry it by yourself?"

"Uncle, I'll help him carry it." Balor intervenes. "It's been a long time since we saw each other."

"Good, don't take too long Bal and greet your father when you pass by the smithy."

Balor makes a face and nods.

Willem still doesn't approve of his son's decision to become a bard and there is still a lot of friction between them.

"I swear, Gawain, even if King Jaehaerys praised my singing that bitter old man would not approve of my choice." the bard complains as they walk towards Gawain's house.

"Willem isn't that bad," the redhead defends him. "I think what bothers him the most is that you left Greenwood. He misses you when you're gone but he's too proud to admit it."

Balor snorts and frowns but has an almost hopeful look in his eyes.

"I find it hard to believe..."

"What news do you bring this time?" Gawain changes the subject before they fall into a familiar pattern, he's been caught up in the father-son drama too many times and he's a little tired of playing the mediator.

"What I am about to tell you is a secret, Gawain. Promise you won't tell anyone?" Balor looks at him with a conspiratorial glint in his eyes, visibly more animated.

Gawain nods, curious enough.

"Do you know how Prince Aerys started a Great Tour last year?"

Gawain remembers the conversation he had with Balor about it.

("Then he will tour the Seven Kingdoms accompanied by some knights and servants?"

"Aye, he will first tour Dorne because even in winter the weather is warmer than in most of Westeros. Then in spring he will come to the Reach and then Stormlands."

"What about his wife, will Princess Rhaella go too?"

"No, she will stay in King's Landing with the baby."

"...that's unfair for her, Prince Aerys travels the kingdoms and she stays to take care of the baby."

"She is a princess, Gawain, her life is much better than ours so don't waste time feeling sorry for her.")

"Has Prince Aerys arrived at the Reach yet?" Gawain asks curiously.

"Yes, and he will arrive at Lord Roxton's castle in a fortnight!" Half whisper half shout excited Balor. "If I manage to go to Lord Roxton's castle and get a job as a bard during the crown prince's stay- This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to impress a member of royalty!" Balor begins to lose himself in his fantasies and Gawain laughs.

"Ah, so that's why you came home so soon." The redhead looks at him with a knowing glint in his eyes.

"SShhhh, don't tell my uncle or father." Balor looks at him pleadingly. "They always say to stay away from major house nobles, they think they might kill me or something if they don't like my songs." He rolls his eyes in exasperation.

`And they are not wrong, didn't Joffrey kill a bard cause he didn't like his songs? Prince Aerion also attempted to mutilate a girl because she put on an apparently offensive puppet show. Aerys is cut from the same cloth as those two, we better stay away from the future Mad King.`

"They only care about you." Before Balor can protest, Gawain hastily adds: "Who is in the prince's entourage?"

"Lord Steffon Baratheon, Lord Lucarys Velaryon, Lord Qarlton Chelsted," Balor keeps calling names Gawain has never heard of before. "Lord Luther Tyrell joined the entourage during his visit to the Reach, apart from those I know there are a few others but I don't remember their names."

`So Tyrell is trying to suck up to Aerys, why doesn't that surprise me? Anyways it is none of my business, their world and mine are very different.`

"We are here," Gawain stops before the fence and turns to his friend. "Do you want to come in for a drink?"

"Aye- no, wait." Balor frowns and sighs. "I should visit my old man, I promised my uncle. I'll visit your family another day." Balor passes him the small barrel and says goodbye.

Gawain watches him go for a moment and continues on his way.

He sees his mother play hide-and-seek with his siblings and smiles brightly.

`This world is not so bad.`

***

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