Chapter 74: Jon Snow II
Jon Snow was no good at stealth. Give him a sword, ask him to set out to hunt an animal, or ask him to take care of horses—he could do it. But even with his new eyes, asking him to be stealthy was difficult. This was because reading could actually be fun. Discovering things he didn't know about and learning things that might be considered trivial to some, but important when it came to action, filled him with curiosity and a desire to learn more. The trouble was that, for someone like Maester Luwin, who knew about books and, above all, the library, there was no point in being stealthy.
The old man discovered two days ago that some of the books were not as he had seen them before. He noticed there was even a bit of dirt on the floor. So, out of curiosity and caution, he stayed in the library until late at night. And it was fun to watch a twelve-year-old boy sneak into the library before taking a book and reading on the floor with a candle nearby.
"Are you having fun, Jon?"
The voice startled Jon, causing him to nearly drop the candle. His young eyes stared at the maester in shock before he blushed, then his cheeks turned paler.
"You... will tell Lord Stark..."
"Hmm... I must. But I admit I'm curious about your reason for doing this. In fact, if you had taken into account the position of the books and the marks you left behind on the floor, then he wouldn't have noticed you."
"Did you notice those things?" Jon asked in surprise.
Luwin smiled slightly as he looked at the young bastard on the floor.
"For someone like me, who has studied and read books all his life, the library is like a second home. Noticing that sort of thing is normal."
"So, Jon. Will you tell me your reason for sneaking in?"
Jon frowned slightly as he replied, "Doing it during the day would have made Lady Catelyn realize it. I... can understand her hatred of me to a certain extent. I am a constant reminder that Lord Stark was with another woman. But... I want to learn more."
"I don't want Lord and Lady Stark to argue because of me. So, I thought this would be the best course of action."
"..." Luwin looked at him for a few seconds before nodding, understanding Jon's reasons. He himself knew the young man's reasons were sound. Lady Catelyn didn't want Jon to rise above her sons, or to learn more than them.
"How much have you read? It feels like you've been doing this for two days."
"Ten books in total. I learned about a hunting book; I didn't know that shooting an arrow at an animal could make the meat smell stronger when you hit the organs. It also went into a bit of detail about the animals' habits."
"Oh... there are the history books too..."
"Ten? You read ten whole books in two days?" Luwin asked, a little surprised. Jon just nodded; his new eyes meant he could read faster and images didn't slip back so quickly. Because his vision was wider, he could read without having to look down so far or move his head from side to side. It was a little awkward getting used to, but it didn't take too long.
"Hm... I see. You can read. I don't think Lord Stark would forbid it. But there's still going to be a discussion about sneaking in."
Jon sighed before nodding.
"Now go to sleep. Losing sleep isn't good for your health."
Jon could only resign himself as he left the library. He knew he'd be a little nervous tomorrow when he faced his father. Luwin looked at him as he left, his old eyes filled with curiosity about the young man's reason for doing this. Oh, he knew the reasons he gave were the truth, but he also knew there was something else behind it that made him do this.
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Ser Rodrik Cassel frowned as he watched two young men train with swords. It had been decided that now that Robb Stark was twelve, he would train with a real sword once every seven days. And since Robb always trained alongside Theon Greyjoy and Jon Snow, these two also carried real swords. The problem, and the reason for his frown, was that the Snow boy was clearly slowing down. Oh, it wasn't noticeable to the other two boys, but for someone like him who had held a sword for years, it wasn't so difficult to see how Jon Snow's strength waned from time to time, or how he made slightly awkward movements when there was an obvious opportunity to exploit a blind spot.
Ser Rodrik glanced to the side, where Lord Stark and Luwin were also standing. The Lord of Winterfell also frowned before glancing at the Maester at his side. Then, slowly, he walked to the side, leaving where he was and going to where his sons were.
"It seems I win this time, Snow," Robb smiled, but not in an arrogant or annoyed way. While his words might have sounded mocking, they weren't. They had been through this many times before, and they all knew they were just words meant to elicit a few small laughs from both sides.
"It won't be like this next time, Stark," Jon replied with a slightly strained smile, for he could feel his father's gaze on his back. Oh, he knew Eddard Stark had been watching, so he didn't mind the stare. But he felt a feeling in his heart, something that was really making him nervous. Was it about being discovered in the library?
"Jon..."
"Is something wrong, Lord Stark?" Jon asked politely, not wanting Lady Stark to hear him call him father. Although the woman wasn't there, he preferred to be careful in case she suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"You will face Rodrik now."
"What? But I..."
"Jon..."
Jon's shoulders tensed slightly at his father's tone. He didn't know why he wanted him to do such a thing, but his voice was harsher than usual. Even Robb frowned at his father's tone. But he knew it wouldn't be a good idea to interfere.
"Good," in the end, Jon could only agree and prepare.
"And Jon... I don't want you to hold back when it comes to fighting," those words surprised Jon. His tense shoulders now relaxed as he better understood his father's reasoning. He had been through this before. And it was just before he won against his brother and Lady Catelyn had reprimanded him.
Jon could only nod a little stiffly before he prepared himself. Ser Rodrik was already standing before him, sword in hand. There was no need to question his lord; he trusted Ned Stark and his reasons. Besides, it wasn't like he was going at full strength against a twelve-year-old boy.
When the fight started, Jon remained in his position as Ser Rodrik began to pace in a circle. Sword fights weren't as simple as swinging the weapon in question; there were other issues. For example, someone less experienced would start to panic when someone like Ser Rodrik started walking. He was taller than Jon, and his presence was also harsher and more serious, so simply advancing could cause someone less experienced to freeze or retreat, creating an opening.
This wasn't the case for Jon. Thanks to his wider vision, he could easily see Ser Rodrik walking to his left. Although he understood that winning would be very difficult, surrendering would only cause Lord Stark to reprimand him.
Then, when the grown man's sword appeared at his side, Jon stepped back and raised his sword, causing his opponent's blade to rise. Ser Rodrik was slightly surprised, but he could control his sword easily. But it was what Jon needed. Rodrik was taller, faster, and stronger than Jon, so he had to fight intelligently.
Jon used his shoulder to push Rodrik away before swinging his sword, creating a crisp sound as it clashed with his opponent's. Jon was too short and young for a longsword or a bastard sword, so he trained with a shortsword. So, by getting so close, he had better mobility than Rodrik with a larger sword, especially since he was also shorter.
Ser Rodrik couldn't help but smile as his sword clashed with the young man in front of him. Watching his movements, he understood that he was using his height to his advantage. But it wasn't enough.
The older man took a step back, causing Jon to grit his teeth as he nearly stumbled forward.
"You have to concen-"
Jon didn't let him finish as he used all his strength to advance and strike forward. But at this point, he didn't stop. His eyes were working at high speed, observing every movement in Ser Rodrik's body and striking precisely. Their swords clashed again and again as both fighters moved around each other. There came a point when Jon simply ignored everything else. The colors seemed to dim around him, leaving only Ser Rodrik and his sword as the central focus.
The sound of swords and his breathing echoed in his ears as he moved, blocking each of his opponent's strongest blows, dodging disarming moves and rendering feints useless. Jon didn't realize it, but his body was reaching its limits. Fighting like this tired him much more quickly, but he was having fun.
"This boy..." Ser Rodrik noticed the smile on Jon's face. The dark gray eyes shone almost like the purest silver. And suddenly, Jon took two strides forward, swinging his sword with both hands. Rodrik blocked the first, but the second blow came with breathtaking speed. And the third was actually a surprising move. Jon's sword, which was blocked with Ser Rodrik's, moved along the opposite blade to the tip, causing the older man to be forced to move his arms downward. And, in that moment, the tip of Jon's sword moved toward his neck before he moved.
Ser Rodrik couldn't help it; he smiled as he craned his neck slightly and looked down at Jon.
"Well done."
Jon let out a sigh before stepping back. Before he knew it, he was on the ground, sitting on his back, his legs shaking slightly. His arms felt hot, as if they were on fire, as did his eyes. He had won, but one more moment of battle, and he would have collapsed to the ground, completely spent. In fact, if it weren't for his eyes, he wouldn't have lasted this long.
Every movement had been registered by his eyes, but that was also information for his brain. It seemed he had to train harder if he wanted to last longer in a battle.
"What the..." Robb stared, mouth agape.
"How did he do that?!" Theon exclaimed, a mixture of surprise and annoyance.
"Jon. Those last three moves were excellent."
"Huh?"
"Hmph... it seems you didn't notice. But you moved so fast that it almost seemed like every movement was made at the same time." Rodrik frowned slightly, but not angrily. He had trained Jon, so why shouldn't he be proud of such an outstanding pupil? Even though he was a bastard, he was still the son of Lord Stark, one of the most honorable men in Westeros.
"I... I was only focused on winning..." Jon breathed heavily as he spoke. "Even though I didn't think I could win..."
"Eh, even if I didn't use my full strength, it's still an accomplishment, boy. You're still twelve years old, you can still grow."
"Jon... we'll talk after you rest," Lord Stark said seriously before leaving the room with Maester Luwin.
Jon could only nod.
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