In the crypts of Winterfell, Robb Stark was proudly showing Marco his Stark ancestors.
Most of the Starks in this level were dukes, buried here after the War of Conquest.
Although Marco had been trying to stall for time, there was still no news from the Three-Eyed Raven. Helplessly, Marco had to leave with Robb and the others.
Marco's excuse was, after all, too weak to stand up to scrutiny, and staying here any longer would definitely raise suspicion.
As Marco was leaving, he glanced back at the statue of Lyanna Stark. He seemed to feel that strange energy again.
After Marco and the others left, a wind as if made of substance blew up from the underground passage, creating eerie sounds in the cold, dark crypt.
After leaving the crypts, Marco and his group, led by Robb Stark, came near the Broken Tower. It was worth mentioning that this was where Cersei and her brother had their... fun!
However, Marco had no time to gossip about this, because he still hadn't heard anything from the Three-Eyed Raven. So, Marco could only suppress his questions.
After leaving the godswood, Marco and his group, led by Robb Stark, toured the rest of Winterfell. Marco meticulously examined every location, but he didn't find anything particularly noteworthy.
After the tour, Marco returned to the guest chambers, feeling somewhat deflated. The guest chambers in Winterfell were quite spacious, with a reception area on the first floor and guest rooms on the second.
Marco's Snow Bear Knights were stationed outside the castle. The two Shadow Lynx, however, had accompanied the party into Winterfell. Initially, this caused some alarm, but once the Stark family's guards realized the big cats posed no threat, they relaxed.
Northern mountain clan warriors also kept wild beasts, so the fact that Marco had tamed Shadow Lynx wasn't considered particularly shocking by the Winterfell guards.
Moonshadow and Leaf were treated as ladies and were assigned to Marco's guest room, which was also why Theon Greyjoy had asked Marco about concubines.
When Marco opened the door to his guest room, he found many people already gathered. Two children were playing in the guest room, riding on the Shadow Lynx. The one Moonshadow was on seemed especially happy, completely different from the fierce demeanor it showed towards Marco!
A noblewoman, about thirty years old, was holding a child and watching them anxiously from a distance. Her red curly hair stood out in the crowd, and she exuded an air of noble elegance.
Eddard Stark was also present, surrounded by his family's guards and retainers. It seemed they had already discussed Marco's situation.
Seeing Marco enter the room, everyone turned their attention to him. Marco said with a hint of teasing, "Did I come to the wrong room? Can I come in?"
"Lord Marco! I apologize! The children were very curious about the Shadow Lynx, so we followed them here. I hope we haven't disturbed you!" Eddard Stark said to Marco with a touch of apology.
Marco waved his hand and said, "You're too polite, Lord Eddard! This is your castle! Besides, it's my honor that the children like these two little ones!"
Marco turned his head and saw Moonshadow and Leaf sitting behind a long table. Sas Ding and the other two were standing behind them, giving off the air of hostesses.
Moonshadow, however, was fidgeting in her seat, seemingly very uncomfortable. Leaf was whispering to her, as if she were comforting her.
Upon seeing Marco enter, Moonshadow immediately jumped down from her chair and strode over to Marco, grabbing his hand and saying to him:
"Marco! It seems this castle is filled with ancient souls. I even see giants and the souls of some sisters, but they seem to be suppressed by some kind of power! Have you noticed anything?"
Moonshadow's mournful voice, like a song, quickly drew everyone's attention. Maester Luwin trembled violently when he heard it.
"M-Marco! Are these two the legendary Children of the Forest? I... when I received Maester Balon's raven letter, I thought he was exaggerating! Um... may I give them a physical examination? Don't worry, I'll be very careful, and I certainly won't offend them!"
Maester Luwin said excitedly. Like that "magician" Archmaester Marwyn, he was one of the few maesters in the Citadel who had studied magic and the occult. Or rather, the few maesters who volunteered to come to the North basically all possessed a Valyrian Steel Chain, just like him.
"No! Moonshadow and Leaf don't like you strange people. Maester Balon already asked them a lot of questions last time, and even drew their portraits. They are not anyone's servants, and someone doesn't like forcing others!"
Marco's calm voice came from under his hooded cloak, instantly calming Maester Luwin down, as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water!
The Starks, after hearing their conversation, stood frozen in place, seemingly stunned by the identities of Moonshadow and Leaf.
The two children still riding the Shadow Lynx jumped down excitedly, staring curiously at Leaf and Moonshadow. They seemed very curious about their identities, wanting to run over and take a look, but afraid of being impolite.
Bran and Arya initially thought they were the same age, so they greeted them, but they never spoke.
Marco was helpless and had no choice but to summon Leaf again, removing her and Moonshadow's hats and explaining to the Starks:
"These two are a friend's friends. They are both Children of the Forest. This friend, guided by the gods, found them. Their people are dwindling, but they remain with this friend for special reasons."
Leaf then spoke, "Hello everyone! My human name is Leaf! It's a pleasure to meet you!"
Their strange appearance amazed everyone. Maester Luwin was so excited he was trembling, almost fainting!
After a brief conversation, Eddard Stark led everyone out of Marco's guest room, informing Marco that the banquet would begin when the setting sun's bells rang.
Bran and Arya, brother and sister, reluctantly followed their parents, excited by today's experiences and eager to boast to their older siblings.
After everyone left, Marco called Sas Ding over and asked him about what had happened after he left.
It turned out that after everyone was assigned rooms, the two little Starks had sneaked in, clamoring to see the Shadow Lynx. Sas Ding had asked Leaf for her opinion, and Leaf and the others had let the Shadow Lynx go over to play with the two youngsters.
They hadn't expected so many people to show up, but thankfully, nothing went wrong. Sas Ding then apologized to Marco about the matter, but Marco praised him for handling it well, without any blame.
At this moment, Leaf's voice suddenly entered Marco's ears, asking:
"Lord Marco! We shouldn't have to go to the banquet later, right!"
Marco replied, "Yes, you will! Why wouldn't you go? You're with me, why wouldn't you go? The world should not forget the Children of the Forest. You are not perfect creations of the Old Gods, you should not be extinguished from this world!
The Children of the Forest need change to survive. Humans also achieved their current status by constantly changing and learning. Since you cannot change, let me lead you to change!"
"Alright! Did you find anything during the earlier exploration? I felt that there seemed to be a faint trace of the Old Gods' power here, but it disappeared immediately. Why is that?"
Leaf nodded in agreement after hearing Marco's words.
Eternal life had allowed Leaf to witness and understand so much. The strange power within Marco had been transforming her, and Leaf could feel an even greater power growing within her.
Perhaps I should try it... that method. Perhaps it will make me even stronger!
Leaf thought to herself, her gaze drifting towards Marco.
Meanwhile, Marco had finally received a response from the Three-Eyed Raven. Without waiting for a question, the Three-Eyed Raven spoke:
"Apologies, Master Marco! Our old friend seems to have awakened. It just 'greeted' me. How amusing! It still thinks I'll hide from it as I did before, so I gave it a good 'lesson'. That should keep it 'resting' for a while longer!"
Marco's eyes narrowed at the Three-Eyed Raven's words. In his mind, he asked:
"The Night King? He's appeared so soon? Right, I've never asked you before. How many White Walkers did you originally create? And how much do you know about the being behind them?"
The Three-Eyed Raven in Marco's mind fell silent at the question, as if recalling painful memories. After a moment, he slowly said to Marco:
"We created over a thousand White Walkers. After they rebelled against us, they seemed to have found new ways to create offspring. Their current state seems to be more like a living race than a magical creation! All of this seems to be related to that giant stone that fell from the sky. According to the information I have, that thing seems to be related to certain beings in the east!"
Marco pondered for a moment before saying, "Let's put this matter aside for now! Our current task is to accumulate strength. Now that your abilities have been enhanced, you should properly integrate those people beyond the Wall! By the way, have you found anything in the Stark family's crypt?"
"Lord Marco! I seem to have discovered something that might interest you, and regarding that strange energy you sensed, I also have a clue."
The Three-Eyed Raven said to Marco, seemingly having discovered something very interesting.
Upon hearing the Three-Eyed Raven's words, Marco's spirits were instantly lifted.
"Then..."
The two of them continued to talk, and time quickly passed. As evening approached, the bells on the distant tower suddenly rang out. Reluctantly, Marco made arrangements with the Three-Eyed Raven to act that night. Afterward, he hurriedly led Moonshadow and the others towards Winterfell's great hall.
Winterfell possessed a super luxurious hall. This hall was used by the Stark family to entertain guests and hold family dinners. The harvest feast was also held here every year.
The hall was quite large, with gray stone walls draped with various banners. There was a main gate facing the castle courtyard, made of oak and steel, and a side door leading to a dark corridor. Inside, the hall could accommodate eight long tables, separated by a central aisle, four tables on each side, enough to seat 500 people for feasting.
The hall was already filled. Marco's Snow Bear Knights had been invited early and were seated at the tables on the right. Eddard Stark, the Duke, and his wife, Catelyn Stark (Catelyn Tully), sat on the central dais.
Noble dining halls in Westeros were generally like this, with a raised platform in the center of the hall, reserved for the noble guests of Westeros. Marco wasn't a noble, so he was seated on the right, close to the dais.
After Marco and his companions were seated, Eddard Stark rapped his silver goblet on the table a few times. The noisy hall instantly fell silent.
Eddard Stark stood up, holding his goblet, and addressed the crowd:
"Esteemed guests! We gather here today to welcome our Stark family friend, Lord Marco of Rolas! Let us raise our glasses and drink to his health! To friendship! Cheers!"
"Cheers!..."
The crowd responded in unison, even the two young Starks raised their cups and took a sip. Though the children of noble families wanted for nothing in terms of food and drink, alcohol was still a bit too early for them. Everyone knew that drinking too much could kill you.
So, they were very careful about how they managed their children. Drinking alcohol was forbidden before the age of 15, and only during celebrations or special events were they allowed to have a little watered-down wine!
The food at tonight's banquet was also very lavish, showing how much the Stark family had put into it. Red wine, cheese, roast chicken, roast meat, beef stew, meat pies, bacon, various desserts, and cakes; it was nothing like the layout of a country bumpkin in a TV series. All the food and tableware were neatly arranged.
This lively banquet lasted for nearly three and a half hours. Due to his constitution, Marco successively defeated Robb Stark, Theon Greyjoy, and Rodrik Cassel in drinking contests. Marco's necromancer's helmet had an opening for eating, so he didn't take off his cloak and hood the entire time.
The Stark family's young men were stunned, especially Theon Greyjoy, whose intention was to see Marco make a fool of himself. He hadn't expected to be the one who ended up on the losing side!
After the banquet, Marco returned to his guest room. He arranged for Leaf and the others to rest on the bed, while he leaned back in a chair to rest.
It was late at night when Marco, who had been dozing in the chair, slowly opened his eyes. The bright moonlight shone through the glass onto the carpet. Then, Marco summoned the Three-Eyed Raven in his mind!
"It's time to take action. Let's see what treasures are in this mysterious underground tomb!"