Beside the First Keep, beneath the ruined tower.
Because Bran had been carried away from here, the ground had been trampled into mud, making it impossible to tell exactly where he had fallen.
Galon lifted the oil lamp and surveyed the area, then completely abandoned the idea of finding clues on the ground.
"Come on, let's check the tower itself."
Jon naturally could not see anything useful, so he followed Galon in confusion.
A moment later, the two entered the first floor of the ruined tower.
Because the top of the tower had never been repaired, almost no one came here anymore. Even the last time Jon accompanied Galon, they had stopped outside without going in.
The interior was messy and damp.
Now, with twilight fading, their oil lamps illuminated only small patches of darkness, and the moss-covered stones made it easy to slip if one wasn't careful.
"Be careful, Galon."
Jon lifted his lamp and prepared to step onto the staircase.
But Galon stopped him. "Wait."
"What is it?" Jon paused mid-step and retreated slightly, confused.
Galon crouched, holding the lamp closer to the mossy steps, examining them carefully.
Jon, curious, leaned over to look as well.
But after staring for a long while, he still saw nothing.
"What are you looking at?"
Unable to hold back, he finally asked.
Galon pointed at the step. "Jon, look. Don't those marks on the moss look like footprints?"
"Hm?" Jon leaned in, doubtful. "Footprints? I don't see—"
Galon traced a rough circle in the air above the stone. "Here. Look closely."
Jon followed his gesture. After staring long enough, he did faintly make out some impressions on the moss.
And the longer he looked, the more they resembled footprints, just as Galon said.
"They do look like footprints."
"But even though it's remote, someone coming here isn't unusual, is it?"
Galon nodded. "True. But bloodstains are much less normal."
He raised the lamp slightly and pointed. "Jon, look there."
On the third step up from the ground, a dried drop of blood was clearly visible.
Jon's expression changed instantly. "Then someone really tried to kill Bran? But Bran is just a child. Who would go after a child?"
Galon already knew the answer, but he could not reveal it, so he simply said, "That's what we're here to find out."
"Come on. Let's continue upward. Check every single step."
The two climbed slowly, oil lamps held high, examining each stone stair.
Before long, they found something else: a strange milky, dried substance with a faint smell.
"What is this?"
Jon, inexperienced in such matters, had no idea what the substance implied.
But Galon, who in his previous life had nearly reached marriage, immediately recognized the dried stain for what it was.
However, given his current persona, he could not say it outright.
Galon shook his head slightly. "I'm not sure. We should collect some and have Maester Luwin examine it."
Jon nodded quickly. "Wait here. I'll get a box."
He rushed out with his lamp.
Galon stayed where he was, staring up the spiraling stairs, pondering quietly.
'If this is what I think it is, then Jaime and Cersei definitely came here.'
'What about the blood? And we still haven't seen Theon. Could Jaime have killed him already?'
'Is this Theon's blood?'
But Galon soon dismissed the idea. 'No. Theon must still be alive, otherwise Ned would have mentioned it.'
'Could he have really struck a deal with Jaime?'
'But why would Jaime spare him?'
Galon was deeply puzzled. He simply couldn't imagine how Jaime would let Theon live after discovering him with Cersei.
Given the siblings' positions, anyone who caught them together had only one fate: death.
Jon Arryn had met that fate. Ned Stark would be no exception. If they let such secrets leak, the entire Lannister family risked destruction.
In the canon, it was this scandal that isolated their house after Tywin's death, leaving them without allies.
Sibling love defying the world.
And since neither Jaime nor Cersei was willing to marry outside the family, the Lannisters ultimately stood alone, surrounded by enemies.
Their downfall was inevitable.
But then again, if Jaime and Cersei had ever listened to Tywin, they wouldn't be who they were.
While Galon pondered how Jaime might have silenced Theon, Jon hurried back holding a wooden box.
He unsheathed his dagger and carefully scraped up the blood and white residue along with bits of moss, placing everything inside the box.
"Let's keep going."
Galon led Jon upward. Every so often, they found more drops of blood and more dried white residue.
'I have to admit, Jaime and Cersei certainly have flair.'
'To leave traces up an entire staircase… Jaime really does have impressive endurance.'
Galon walked silently, unable to avoid a grudging admiration.
They climbed slowly for nearly an hour before reaching the highest accessible room beneath the collapsed top.
Jon raised his lamp. "This is as high as we can go. Above this is where the lightning destroyed the structure."
Galon nodded and lifted his own lamp. "Let's check inside."
The final room was chaotic, the floor filled with footprints. The heaviest concentration was near the window.
Galon knew instantly that this was where the struggle happened, the struggle that led to Bran's fall.
He lifted the lamp and walked closer. Beside the window, he found several more drops of blood.
Looking out, he saw only blackness below. Far off, the rookery caught his attention for a moment, but nothing could be seen clearly in the dark.
"It seems this is where it all began." Because Galon already knew the truth, recreating the events was easy.
"Judging from the tracks, at least three people were here.
And one of them was Bran."
Galon turned to Jon. "The extra blood tells us Bran must have struggled with them. I believe he was pushed."
"What?" Jon was stunned. "Pushed? By who?"
Galon shook his head. "I don't know yet. That depends on what Robb finds."
"Let's return to him. And we need Maester Luwin to examine what we collected."
Jon nodded, then glared fiercely around the room. "Whoever harmed Bran… I'll make them pay in blood."
"You will. I promise you that."
Under the dim oil lamp, Galon's lips curled in a meaningful smile.
Meanwhile, in the Great Hall, Cersei and Jaime were learning that Robert had ordered an investigation into Bran's fall.
__________
Upto 20 chapters ahead on patreon :-
patreon.com/Xorath