WiSh - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Night Exploration

Maester Luwin smiled, "Theon, what is a false warg? Did you come up with that? It's the first time I've heard that term. A warg is either one or not; there's no such thing as a false warg."

Sansa, Arya, Rickon, Robb, and even Jon, who never smiled in front of Catelyn, couldn't help but show a hint of amusement.

Seeing someone confidently appear foolish and rash was always amusing.

Theon Greyjoy didn't think his self-evident conclusion made him seem silly or impulsive. He often liked to jump to conclusions without seeking further understanding, as if there were a missing guitar string in his head: "A false warg means it's fake. He's a fraud. I see it clearly. I've seen many guys like him."

The captain of the guards, Jory Cassel, the deputy captain, Alyn, and the master-at-arms, Ser Rodrik, all couldn't help but smile. Theon often made these impulsive and unrealistic judgments and insisted on them, showing a bit of neurosis.

It should be noted that Lord Eddard and Lady Catelyn bringing out the famous wine for breakfast to entertain their guests had already established Will's status in their eyes. They treated Will as an honored guest, even though his identity and status did not warrant it. Eddard Stark's cold and hard demeanor, like snow, was just a facade.

Especially Lady Catelyn seemed to have a somewhat superstitious belief in Will. She wanted Will to stay by Lord Eddard's side as a knight, fortunately, Lord Eddard did not agree.

Otherwise, Will's status would have suddenly been higher than Jory Cassel's and Alyn's, more noble than the stablemaster Hullen and the steward Vayon Poole. He could even have requested Lord Eddard to grant him a surname.

Theon Greyjoy's decisive denial of Will, with a serious expression, made everyone laugh.

Theon was sometimes like this: forcefully denying established facts to appear different.

The messenger raven would bring back the details of everything about the brother of the Night's Watch from Commander Mormont of the Night's Watch tomorrow. It would be time for Will to return to the Wall. Sworn brothers of the Night's Watch could not leave the Wall unless they died or received a special decree from the king or a lord.

The wine from Meereen was too delicious. The more Will drank, the less he could control himself, and he finally let go and got drunk. After Jory and Alyn threw Will onto the large guest bed, he fell into a deep sleep until nightfall.

The old and familiar voice sounded in Will's ear: "Cunning lad, it's time to wake up."

Will opened his eyes, feeling full of energy. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with air: "Old witch, can you tell I'm pretending to be drunk?"

"Everything in Winterfell, I can see and hear. For me, there are no secrets in Winterfell. Did you have a good rest after that long sleep?"

"Of course, even if you made me run all night, I'd have the strength. Thieves are favored by the night god; my energy is especially abundant at night."

"Good, let's go then."

Will rolled out of bed, grabbed the ill-fitting broad sword, opened the back window, and climbed out, easily descending to the ground of the godswood by gripping the edges of the stone wall.

Behind the guest room castle was the godswood.

Guided by the Heart Tree's intangible presence, Will silently made his way through the godswood in the darkness of the night, climbed over the northern wall, and arrived at the Stark family crypt.

The crypt had no guards, and a large iron gate was no obstacle for Will. He unlocked the massive iron chain, and before him was a dark staircase leading into what seemed like an abyss, with a chill blowing out from the entrance.

Will first closed the iron gate of the tomb and descended the staircase into the underground crypt. He noticed his eyesight had improved, perhaps due to the evolution he gained from warging into the heart tree the previous night. Like the wound on his right hand, which had healed completely overnight.

He quickly adapted to the darkness of the cave, able to see. Stealth in the dark of night never required light, for then it wouldn't be stealth; it would be a conspicuous nighttime activity. In military reconnaissance, it would be like telling the enemy's hidden sentries to shoot you dead.

In a short while, Will's eyes fully adapted to the darkness. On the right side of the crypt were towering stone statues, taller than an adult, with each male statue's knees resting a huge iron sword, and at their feet, a crouching stone statue of a direwolf.

This was the resting place of the Stark family's ancestors, descendants, lords, and kings over the ages.

Will moved swiftly, with a clear image of everything in the tomb in his mind. The heart tree roots covering the walls had been his eyes the previous night.

He arrived like in front of the last statue, sweat soaking his black clothes, with steam rising from his head. The statue's features felt vaguely familiar; it was the statue of Brandon the Builder, from the Age of Heroes eight thousand years ago.

Guided by the even more ancient heart tree, Will reached out and grabbed the arm of Brandon's statue, which was holding a huge iron sword, and twisted it with force. Amidst the sound of crunching, the great sword turned to rust and then to dust in the blink of an eye.

The stone statue was pushed aside with a series of clacking sounds, echoing through the dark tomb in the dead of night. However, the cave was deep, and Will wasn't worried about the sound reaching the surface. Even if a patrolling guard happened to pass by and hear a slight noise in the silence of the night, they wouldn't have the courage to open the locked tomb gate and enter.

A faint glow emanated from the lower cave, revealing a fist-sized night pearl embedded in a round hole in the stone.

The chill around Will was dispelled, with warm air rising from the lower opening.

Inside lay a pile of dragon bones.

Will jumped down into the cave, landing silently as if on a thick carpet. Ahead was a low cave that seemed endless. Will knew that at the end of the cave was a downward spiral staircase, with hot springs beside it, leading to the massive dragon tomb.

This low cave couldn't compare to the tall Stark family crypt above. Will could only crouch and not stand upright, but it was adorned with countless pieces of night pearl embedded in the stone walls for lighting.

Any single piece of night pearl, if taken out and brought to the market, would be enough for Will to buy a villa in King's Landing and marry several wives. Without hesitation, he reached out and was just about to take down one when a whoosh of air signaled the appearance of a silver-haired young man with pointed ears and gray-brown eyes, appearing out of thin air before him.