Robb and his companions were idly chatting in a room on the top floor of Lance Tower, waiting for nearly two hours until Robb's Life Detection Magic finally detected a strong life force approaching the tower.
"Wright is here."
It wasn't Robb who spoke, but Meredyth, who, bored out of her mind, was also using Life Detection Magic.
Once activated, Life Detection Magic made ordinary people appear red to the caster's eyes, but Wright's presence was a deep purple-black, as if the very life force itself was radiating power. Back in King's Landing, many mage apprentices had asked Wright why he had such overwhelming vitality, to which he replied with a grin: "Do more push-ups, run more, and become a dragon rider."
"Master Wright really knows how to live it up!" Jojen remarked, feeling a chill in the air as he looked around.
The footsteps grew closer, and before the door even opened, an ice chair had already formed from the floor, with Wright, though not yet in the room, already comfortably seated.
Other mages had tried to do the same, but their limited magic couldn't afford such daily luxuries. Combined with their respect for Wright and their gratitude for his teachings, the ice chair had become Wright's exclusive symbol.
"Sorry to keep you waiting so long. You know I'm always punctual, but Benjen invited me to witness the trial of those who broke their oaths as Night's Watchmen. Those condemned men were all pointing fingers at each other, which delayed the proceedings."
As the door opened, Wright immediately apologized, even though they were all his disciples. He had always taught them that mages must be punctual, and now he had failed to set an example himself.
Meredyth stood and greeted him: "It's fine, really. We had nothing to do here at the Wall anyway."
Wright entered, holding two sheathed swords. He walked up to Robb and tossed them to him before sitting down on his ice chair.
"Brand new Valyrian steel swords, and two of them! Robb, you really hit the jackpot!" Jojen exclaimed excitedly, rushing over to touch the swords.
Robb was just as excited. Every knight hoped to wield a fine weapon. After his Ice Sword had shattered, Robb had lost his composure, but now, with these new swords, he couldn't stop running his hands over their scabbards.
Mera, Jojen's sister, showed no change in expression. She couldn't afford one herself, so she turned to the others: "Sansa, Meredyth, didn't you two say you were each going to buy a Valyrian steel wand?"
Meredyth replied, "We've been saving up."
Sansa looked at the two swords in Robb's hands and said firmly, "I won't marry before I buy one of these!"
"Ah! I feel like you two are just using this excuse to avoid marriage!" Mera joked, thinking they would grow old without marrying.
"Master Wright promised us a discount," Meredyth said quietly, lowering her head.
Robb stood up, holding one of the swords and weighing it in his hands, inspecting it from all sides.
Eddard Stark had officially passed Ice, the Stark family sword, onto Robb. The broken blade would be reforged into whatever shape its new owner desired, but Robb had consulted with Eddard first.
The original Ice sword had been too long for practical combat. While it had mostly been used ceremonially by Eddard, it didn't suit Robb's fighting style. After discussing with his father, they agreed to forge two swords from the remaining Ice material, shaped to fit Robb's preferences.
Robb didn't impose any specific requests, allowing Wright to work freely. This was the first time he had seen his new blades.
Both swords were a soft blue, with diamond-shaped engravings on the hilt and guard. The light in the room reflected off the engravings in all directions, making the swords appear to shimmer like ice crystals. At the end of each hilt, there were twin wolf heads, identical to each other.
"The diamond engravings on the two swords are arranged horizontally and vertically, so I'll know which is which just by feeling them," Robb quickly noticed the first distinguishing feature of the two blades.
Robb weighed one sword in his hand. Both swords were identical in length and weight. Aside from the diamond engravings on the hilt and guard, no other differences were apparent from the scabbards.
"This scabbard is special too, it must have some unique feature," Jojen said, certain that a creation from Wright would be of excellent quality.
"The scabbard was a cheap one I got from the Night's Watch," Wright explained. "They often lose their scabbards in battle, and I wasn't extravagant enough to make one from Valyrian steel."
Jojen laughed heartily without a hint of shame: "Ha, I knew it! The scabbard is special after all. See, it's clearly one of the Night's Watch's non-sale items!"
Jojen could use any weapon, and his martial skills were renowned across the continent. But when it came to weapons, especially materials and craftsmanship, he had little knowledge. Though he was known as a weapon master, he always traveled empty-handed, summoning weapons through magic when needed.
Robb tossed one of the swords to Jojen. Both of them drew their swords at the same time. The room was bathed in a soft blue glow as the light reflected off the blades.
Robb's sword had a blood groove running along the length, with a slight concave in the middle and slight convex edges. This design allowed the sword to cut deeply while also strengthening its durability. The edges were sharp and perfectly aligned, with a slight sting when a finger came close.
Jojen's sword also had a blood groove, but its blades were entirely jagged, like saw teeth, each tooth about the size of a thumb. This design would likely get caught on armor, but when it cut into flesh, it would tear through with a single pull.
"Valyrian steel has a special effect against undead creatures, and both swords are enchanted with ice magic, but they differ from the sword in the Westerlands. Robb, the sword you're holding for cutting, the freezing range is almost nonexistent, all concentrated on the blade." Wright began explaining the enchantment effects.
The reason Wright was late earlier was that he had gone to find two Night's Watchmen for enchantment. After talking to Commander Benjen for a while, he chose two Night's Watchmen who privately sold spider silk and had Wright personally handle the enchantments.
Robb raised the long sword and infused it with magical energy. Aside from the blade glowing blue, there was no other effect. He twisted his wrist, pointing the blade downward, and lightly tapped the wooden floor. The surface of the board that had been pierced immediately formed a layer of ice, with cold white smoke rising.
"Only when it strikes the enemy does it instantly freeze. That's quite an efficient use of magic, not bad," Robb remarked. He had always thought the sword from the Westerlands was flashy but impractical, creating piles of ice before even hitting an enemy, which felt like a waste of magic.
After Robb tested the sword, Jojen looked expectantly at Wright, who then turned to him. "The serrated sword you hold is mainly for cutting animals and unarmored people. The serrated edges tear through flesh, and instant freezing would have the opposite effect of stopping the bleeding, so the freezing effect on this sword is a wide radius."
"A wide radius?" Robb didn't quite understand.
Wright explained, "This serrated sword, even in summer, can lower the temperature in a one-kilometer radius below freezing. The lush forests will instantly become covered in frost, creating an environment favorable to you."
"Before the enemy arrives, the environment changes, attacking their morale—this is called: momentum!" Robb, who liked to lead in battle, interpreted it in his way.
"The two swords each have their strengths. To get the best effect, they should be wielded together. Even though they're made from the same material, they complement each other. But Robb, with such powerful weapons, do you have enough magic to handle them? Ha-ha," Jojen joked while handing Robb the serrated sword.
The stronger the weapon, the greater the consumption. Wright's Bloodskal Blade is recognized as the best sword currently. Many had tried it, even Jaime, who had trained his whole life, nearly collapsed after swinging it. Now, when Wright tried to lend it, no one wanted it.
"Save it for the most critical moments," Wright advised.
Robb nodded, then moved to a corner of the room and began slowly adapting to wielding both swords. One sword was used for offense and the other for defense. After a while, he switched to attacking with both at once, then made wide, powerful strikes, switching between attacks and defenses, keeping his opponents off guard.
After a while, Robb stopped and sheathed the swords, slinging them on his back. "Master, do these swords have names?"
Wright leaned back in his chair. "I'm a swordsmith. The sword's name is given by its owner."
Robb thought for a moment, then said, "This sword with the blade will still be called Ice, but now it has a brother, so I'll name the serrated one 'Frost.'"
Wright nodded. "Since you've decided, before leaving the Wall, remember to have the maester at Castle Black register the name."
"Of course," Robb agreed with a nod.
"Robb, with these two swords, you can finally rank among the top ten magic swordsmen," Jojen said, crossing his arms, seriously giving his evaluation.
"Top ten? I wonder who I've surpassed," Robb smiled faintly.
Wright, curious, motioned for them to continue. "Go on, tell me more."
The ranking was something Wright had never heard of. The young ones often quarreled over such things, though the official ranking of mages in Westeros didn't exist, and any informal ranking was only circulated among younger mages.
Sansa picked up the conversation. "Robb was originally ranked ninth, but after being defeated by Geralt and losing his sword, he fell out of the top ten."
Robb didn't respond, clearly tacitly agreeing.
Jojen continued, "Robb's return to the top ten is just theoretical! Currently, the tenth place is held by a Volantene named Ellios Chiheda, who wears thick and heavy runic armor. With your two Valyrian steel swords, you'll definitely be able to break his defense."
Sansa asked Jojen, "It's strange, you rank higher than Chihda. Can your conjured weapons break his defense?"
"Can't! That's why I've been avoiding him. If I don't fight him, he'll never surpass me, ha-ha." Jojen laughed while slapping his thigh.
The ranking, more like child's play, made Wright realize it was just young people fooling around. Ellios Chiheda was no stranger to Wright, known among the Dragon Cult as the 'dragon priest who isn't a dragon priest'.