WiSh - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Seeking Divine Inspiration

Eddard Stark's reaction was intense!

Yet, Will felt a sudden calmness wash over him. He knew his words had struck a chord with Eddard Stark's deepest and most perilous secret.

This would convince Eddard Stark that he was indeed there to deliver a prophecy and a warning.

Jon Snow's father was Rhaegar Targaryen, the eldest and most valiant son of the late King Aerys II Targaryen, the "Mad King." He was proficient in both martial and literary arts and skilled in music. He was slain by the current King Robert Baratheon in the River Trident. Jon Snow's mother was Lyanna Stark, Eddard Stark's beloved sister.

The dragon in the prophecy alluded to Rhaegar; the direwolf to Lyanna; and the pillar to Jon Snow becoming a great hero who would support the heavens in the future.

Jon Snow's secret could not be revealed, for once it was, he would be killed for having Targaryen blood. The Stark family would also be implicated, and might even be exterminated for the crime of deceiving the king.

This was the true reason why Eddard Stark kept Jon Snow's mother's identity a closely guarded secret.

Anyone with Targaryen blood was the greatest threat to King Robert Baratheon. Even the two survivors across the Narrow Sea, the foolish and brutal Viserys Targaryen and the thirteen-year-old girl Daenerys Targaryen made Robert Baratheon feel uneasy on the Iron Throne, fearing that one day the Mad King's descendants would lead an army across the sea. After all, the Targaryen family had ruled the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros for nearly three centuries, and many families and subjects had been favored by the Targaryens and held allegiance to them.

"The wildfire burns out, but with the spring breeze, it grows again!"

Eddard Stark was also King Robert Baratheon's closest brother, ally, and comrade-in-arms, and the person he trusted most, even more than his own family and blood relatives. If this information were revealed and known to Robert, it would cause a catastrophic rift between the two.

Trusting in the character of the taciturn Eddard Stark, Will hinted at this fatal information, using the dragon and the wolf as metaphors to avoid putting himself in danger of knowing the secret.

"Will, how did you receive the prophecy?" Eddard asked in a deep, slightly hoarse voice. Jon Snow's secret was known to only one other person in the world, but strictly speaking, Eddard was the only one who knew. Besides the gods of the First Men, no one else could possibly know.

"Fragments of dreams, glimpses of visions, whispers in the night, and vague revelations during prayers in the godswood. Lord Eddard, I believe in the gods of the First Men," Will said, growing even more composed.

As long as he didn't die, there was a chance for everything to turn around.

Since he was here, he had to adapt, even if he didn't want to. Moreover, he was dealing with the Stark family, whom he admired. A family of integrity, bravery, and responsibility. The land he stood on was also a land of heroes.

"What other revelations did you receive?"

"The stag shows mercy, three wolves journey south."

"What does that mean?"

"I am dull, my lord, and could not understand."

Eddard frowned: "Will, were your parents warlocks?"

"My parents have passed away, Lord Eddard. I have an older brother and an older sister, both commoners from the Riverlands. They live in the Twins."

"When and where did you receive the prophecy?"

"I have served at the Wall for four years, Lord Eddard, skilled in stealth and reconnaissance. Four years of hardship made me fearless when patrolling the haunted forest. However, this time, I was terrified. I saw the Others. My companions, Gared and Ser Waymar Royce, were killed by them. I fled on horseback, was caught by an Other, and knew I would die. Suddenly, a shadow flashed, and the Other exploded into ice shards."

"I survived and ran for my life, praying to the gods of the First Men for protection. Then, I saw visions, vague and shadowy, and heard a compassionate, gentle whisper: 'Winter is coming, winter is coming.' The voice held no malice and comforted me."

"I don't know how many days I spent fleeing, or how I crossed the Wall. When I was too exhausted to keep going, I would doze off and enter strange dreams filled with bizarre symbols. Some dreams were fragments of blood and fire swirling around. Finally, I saw a three-eyed raven, who told me: 'Go to Winterfell, Will. Tell Lord Eddard that winter is coming and the Others are attacking. Tell Lord Eddard that the stag shows mercy, and three wolves journey south. Tell Lord Eddard that Jon Snow is protected by a dragon and a direwolf, and he will become a pillar that supports the heavens in the winter.'"

"Will, I want you to swear before the heart tree in the godswood of Winterfell and speak your prophecy, seeking divine inspiration."

Will felt uneasy. Before his transmigration, he was an atheist. Now, his soul had merged with Will's, possessing his skills and memories of this world, a magical land and a fantastical world. This world had many gods and endless miracles: the Drowned God, the Lord of Light, the gods of the First Men, the Seven, and so on. To lie before the heart tree in the godswood of Winterfell, facing the all-seeing eyes of the gods of the First Men would he be cursed by the gods?

In the North, every castle had a godswood, and every godswood had a heart tree. The ancient heart trees were tens of thousands of years old, carved with the faces of the ancients, their eyes filled with compassion, piercing the hearts of men. Their trunks were like human skin, and their leaves were like blood, shaped like human hands. It was said that the heart trees were the incarnation of the gods of the First Men, carved by the Children of the Forest, who had disappeared eight thousand years ago.

Will, who was now very different from before, knew: the older something was, the more supernatural its power.

Would lying under the heart tree in the godswood and speaking a prophecy to seek divine inspiration anger the ancient gods?

However, having come through transmigration, knowing and understanding certain things, it wasn't really lying.

"Lord Eddard, I am willing to swear before the heart tree in the godswood and speak the prophecy to seek divine inspiration," Will said, feeling the cold diminish and his body warming up. He felt nervous about the heart tree in the godswood, much like the first time he held a scalpel to dissect a corpse in front of a professor.

Eddard's gaze was as heavy as a snow-covered mountain, and from his eyes, Will could not discern any emotional fluctuations.

Eddard shifted his gaze and looked at his captain of the guard, Jory, who immediately came forward, drew his short sword, and cut the ropes binding Will's hands. Then he handed his deerhide gloves to Eddard, took Ice from Eddard, and sheathed it on his back.

"Give him a horse. We're going back to Winterfell," Eddard said.