WiSh - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Harwin

Harwin was a sworn swordsman without a fief, and one of Eddard Stark's elite guards. As Jory, Desmond, Harris, and the others were astonished by Will's claims of foreknowledge, Harwin suddenly drew his sword, pointing it at Will.

"Will, your nonsense may fool others, but not me."

"Oh?" Will said.

"Given your cunning nature, you wouldn't easily trust someone. So, it's no surprise that you insisted on using Harris's lance as a precaution before the match. You couldn't have known in advance that Harris's lance was real, because only I knew about it."

"So, my insistence on using Harris's lance was just a coincidence."

"Yes, you just got lucky with your guesses. When your lance shattered Harris's, you naturally realized that your lance was real, not a practice lance."

"Well said."

"Harris's Mistaken Lance is a unique skill in the North, and everyone knows his ability. It's reasonable that you knew about it, not because some good friend told you about Harris's technique in advance. You're deliberately implying that we should think it's divine revelation. You want us to believe you're chosen by the gods."

"Hehe, you've seen through me." Will laughed.

"When you charged, you had already planned how to counter Harris's Mistaken Lance. So, you deliberately controlled your horse's speed to gather strength and use the lance like a club during the cross. Your backward sweep was a lucky hit that deflected Harris's Mistaken Lance. Your desperate trick worked, otherwise, you'd be on the ground now."

"Hehe, good eye."

"You want us to revere you, to deceive us into believing you're a chosen one, a warg, with the ability to see the future."

"Haha, but you've seen through me." Will laughed.

"Hmph, your little tricks are all obvious to me, Will. It's said your swordsmanship is top-notch, and you subdued our Ser Rodrik with a single move. Very well, Ser Rodrik taught me my swordsmanship, and I challenge you to a duel."

It sounded so unpleasant. Will looked at the darkening sky and said: "Knight Harwin, we can duel tomorrow. I've traveled all day and am tired. I've just competed in lance with Knight Harris and won by luck. Isn't it unfair for you to challenge me to a swordfight now?"

Knight Harwin paused, then said coldly: "Fine, rest tonight. We'll duel tomorrow."

"Thank you!"

"Hehe, Brother Will, I must remind you that this duel will not be with practice wooden swords."

"As you wish." Will nodded slightly on his horse.

"Hmph!" Knight Harwin snorted, turned his horse, and rode up the hill.

Behind the hill, outside the forest, they had set up their camp.

Harris said: "Brother Will, would you like to come to my tent? I'd like to have a drink with you."

"No, thank you, Knight Harris. I'd like to rest early. Tomorrow morning, Knight Harwin will duel me in swordsmanship."

"Alright, as you wish." Harris nodded slightly, appearing polite and elegant, then squeezed his horse's flanks and rode up the hill.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, Jory and the others woke up, boiled water for hot food, and heated cold wine in cups to drink. Jory looked around and didn't see Will. He searched the tents but found no one.

"Hey, you were on duty last night, where's Will?"

"After dinner last night, he went to the woods on the hillside by himself."

"Alone?"

"Yes, he said it wasn't windy there, and he wanted to find a sheltered place to sleep."

"Hurry up and check on him." Jory said.

If Will had run away last night, they would have to skip breakfast to capture him. However, Jory wasn't worried about Will escaping in the middle of the night, because even if he tried, he wouldn't get far. Once the news spread, no matter how skilled he was, he would be caught and beheaded.

If Will were truly smart, he wouldn't run. Behind the hill, there were several tents where Desmond and the others were staying.

The kennel workers were all up, and the dozens of forest hunting dogs, recognizing him, wagged their tails at him non-stop. He searched around but didn't see any sign of Will or his tent.

"Will!" He shouted.

The kennel workers released the hunting dogs, forest dogs, and search dogs, but they couldn't find Will. With all the commotion, Desmond and Harwin emerged from their tents to help search, but they couldn't find him either. They found Will's horse, so if he had escaped, he would have hidden himself in the woods.

Only Harris remained sleeping soundly in his tent.

Everyone, along with the hunting dogs, searched everywhere for Will, but Desmond grew anxious and ran to wake Harris to help capture Will Cao. Harris, groggy with sleep, opened his eyes to look at Desmond and said: "That guy's smart; he won't run."

"How do you know? Before he donned the black, he was a habitual thief, a dishonorable outcast."

"He's a smart guy. Smart people don't give others the chance to behead them." Harris muttered, then fell back asleep.

"Hey, hey, hey, but we can't find him anywhere!"

Harris reluctantly sat up, smiling helplessly: "Hehe, don't look for a crow; can you find a crow in the forest? If you don't look for him, he'll come out on his own. You're just wasting your time; he won't show up. He'll just enjoy watching you as a joke."

"Hmph, you're making a Night's Watchman sound too formidable."

"I'm not talking nonsense. The rangers beyond the Wall are all tough guys. They can lie in the ice and snow for days without moving. It's common for a small patrol to be gone for three months before returning to camp. What do they eat out there? How do they find food? They also have to locate wildling camps. Their survival skills in the wild are not something we castle dwellers can compare to, especially this guy. Haven't you heard what he's best at? Go tell everyone to come back, eat and drink. He'll come out soon enough."

*****

A/N: I encourage you to take a peek at my other literary endeavors. I'm confident that you'll find them captivating. They're waiting to whisk you away on new adventures.

Also, a gentle reminder: "Don't forget to vote with your Power Stones. It will be a tremendous help in getting my works noticed by a wider audience. Your votes are like beacons in the night, guiding others to the stories we've built together."