Chapter 3

275 AC

Braavos

Pov Alaric Snowbear (Lord Commander)

'I'm telling you the Nightingale is better. Did you see her last night!' said one of his commanders while in his cups.

We've been in Braavos for two months negotiating a new contract with the Sealord for a campaign against some pirates in the Stepstones. These Braavosi barter like fishwives in a market. They have the bloody coin by the gods.

As the night kept going suddenly the inn's main door opened. In walked a young man. Too tall for his age standing at about 5'11. He looked five and ten namedays regardless of his height. What is he doing here? We rented out the whole place for tonight.

'Is this The Rose Company?' he asked while looking around.

' What's a pretty boy like you doing here. We didn't ask for a male bedslave.'

That got some men snickering at the jape but I kept my eyes trained on him. His hand twitched towards his blade before releasing it and then took a deep breath before continuing.

'I came to join the company. I was born in Lys but my father was a Northerner. I left to become a sellsword I wandered around until I found you.'

For the first time I spoke,

'Why should we trust you.To accept you into our brotherhood?'

The boy paused then looked around before smiling sheepishly,

'I'm not gonna lie I don't know. I thought because I'm part Northerner and good with a blade. I'm not sure about your recruitment process but give me a chance to show my worth.'

This one is really confident in himself. We need to inject newblood into the company anyway. Lets test where he's at in combat. We'll need to build him from the ground up so he won't fight like other Essosi.

' Lomas! Let's go to the yard and show the youngling how its done.'

3rd Pov

Some commanders and soldiers came out to watch the boy and Lomas fight. Lomas picked a tourney sword while the boy picked two. That sent some muttering through the crowd. It's very hard to dual wield. It's a gift reserved for the progidies.

They started circling each other. A thrust here and there to test each other's defenses. Eventually Lomas attacked the boy and tgey went at it. Lomas was by far the more experienced and ot showed but the boy hung in there through sheer talent and force of will. Eventually Lomas disarmed him and placed the blade on his neck.

'Yield?'

'I yield.'

There were cheers all around for both of them. The boy is talented and part Westerosi. I have some men keep and eye on him for now. I raised my hand and the place went silent.

'Good show kid. What's your name?'

'Aaron Snow.'

'Welcome to the company of the rose. We'll make a warrior out of you yet.'

Beyond the wall

'Something happened Leaf. I can no longer see. I cannot see the golden path.' wheezed out The Threes Eyed Raven. He has been watching and manipulating events for about a century now to prepare for the threat that is coming.

' Raven, you can't control everything. Time is like a river. It branches out you have to adapt.'

'Like how you adapted? Spare me your hypocrisy!'

'We were desperate! They were killing us all!'

'I am desperate! Even with the golden path more than half of westeros was in ruins! A war for more than ten years was our best outcome and you want me to change plans now. I'll find the anamoly and erase it.'

Leaf looked at him and not for the first time thought he was too arrogant. This child barely a century old believes himself wiser than they who predate the First Men. Valyrians and their arrogance. It was always their downfall… It would be his too.