Near dusk.
Joel carried half a bottle of ale, staggering through the dim passageways of Winterfell.
If he was not careful, he would even slump against the wall and nearly fall over.
He muttered words about girls and happiness under his breath.
A patrol of guards happened to pass by and showed no surprise at his appearance.
For the past two nights, once evening fell, Winterfell had been full of drunken southern knights and lords running about.
"Hey, ser, if you're going to look for whores, hurry and leave the castle!"
"In another hour, the drawbridge will be raised. Without Lord Stark's orders, no one will be allowed in or out."
The Winterfell soldier who passed Joel last kindly reminded him.
Joel waved his hand and slurred, "Got it."
Once the soldiers had gone by, the drunken haze in Joel's eyes instantly cleared.
He slowly straightened up and quietly made his way toward Winterfell's southern gate.
As he walked, he cursed under his breath.
"Damn it, am I crazy, or is that prince insane? He actually told me to assassinate the son of Lord Stark!"
The moment Joel recalled how greed had clouded his judgment earlier that day, he wanted to slap himself twice.
When Joffrey first approached him, Joel, who had fled from Pentos to the continent of Westeros, thought his luck had finally turned and that he was about to be taken in as a royal squire.
Who would have thought the prince wanted him to find a chance to kill Brandon Stark?
Joel had been completely stunned.
But Joffrey offered far too much.
One hundred gold dragons, and a promise to recommend him directly to the King.
In a moment of madness, Joel took the gold and agreed.
Now, after an afternoon of sobering thought, Joel touched the pouch of gold dragons hidden against his chest and muttered, "I'm afraid I'll have the luck to take it, but not the life to spend it."
"Sigh…"
He let out a quiet sigh, feigned drunkenness, and wandered slowly into the castle courtyard, casually glancing back at the main keep lit by candlelight.
'Is that blond prince kicked in the head by a horse?'
'Fuck, with so many guards everywhere, he still expects me to finish the assassination within two days?'
'I'm not the Bear Slayer. I don't have that kind of ability!'
Still cursing inwardly, Joel headed straight for the southern gate.
He had decided to leave Winterfell first, then find a chance to flee the next day.
'After offending a prince, there's no way I can stay in Westeros. Maybe I should go back to Pentos and keep working as a sellsword.'
'Anyway, that idiot prince already paid me in full.'
With his mind made up, Joel clutched the gold Joffrey had given him and abandoned the assassination without the slightest guilt.
As night fell, he blended in with a group of southern knights heading to the Winter Town for pleasure and left Winterfell.
Just as he was preparing to enjoy himself for the night, a burst of hoofbeats sounded from the gate behind him.
Joel stepped aside to avoid them and saw three riders gallop out of Winterfell.
One of them, with brown-black hair and a youthful, heroic bearing, was none other than Galon, whose fame had recently soared.
'The Bear Slayer…'
Recalling the enormous bear brought back to Winterfell the day before, Joel could not help but feel a trace of fear as he looked at Galon.
"Strange. It's so late. Why isn't the Bear Slayer staying in Winterfell? What's he doing in the Winter Town?"
"Could he be out looking for fun too?"
"Don't be ridiculous. He just got engaged to the Lorf of the North's daughter. He'd have to be mad to go looking for fun in the Winter Town."
"Maybe not. He's been the center of attention these past two days. Who knows, maybe some woman threw herself at him."
"Heh heh…"
The group joked and laughed, and Joel could not help but put on a lewd smile as well.
He followed the crowd toward the pleasures of the Winter Town.
The Winter Town at night was far livelier than Winterfell.
With the King's arrival, the place was full of girls and vendors who had come to do business.
Joel was very familiar with the way. He pushed open a wooden door, and a girl inside greeted him with a coquettish laugh.
They quickly stripped and got straight to it.
After a bout of vigorous activity, Joel lay lazily on the bed and drained the ale sitting by the bedside.
"My lord, why did you bring so much money today?"
The girl lay across Joel's chest, her eyes fixed on the pouch of gold dragons beside the bed.
Joel slapped her on the backside and said casually, "That's my reward for a job well done. Go on, get me more wine and warm things up!"
"Tonight I'm going to enjoy myself properly. Otherwise, there may not be another chance tomorrow!"
A strange look flickered through the girl's eyes.
But she quickly laughed sweetly, rose naked, and went to the nearby table to fetch more drink.
Standing there, she shook an empty bottle. "My lord, there's no more wine in my room. I'll go next door and get some."
Joel nodded, reached into the pouch by the bed, pulled out a gold dragon, and tossed it onto her chest.
"Hurry back. I'm not finished yet."
The girl giggled, pocketed the gold dragon, threw on some clothes, and left the room.
Joel leaned back on the bed, staring at the candlelight as he waited for her return and the next round.
But after more than ten minutes, she still had not come back.
Joel frowned and muttered, "Does it really take that long to fetch a bottle of wine?"
Years of life as a sellsword made him realize something was wrong.
He quickly dressed, hung his sword at his waist, stuffed the gold back into his clothes, and prepared to go out and check.
When Joel pushed open the door, the cold northern night made him shiver.
'Damn it…'
The path outside was empty, not a single figure in sight.
Moans still drifted from nearby rooms, stirring restlessness in his chest. He took a few more steps forward, but still saw no sign of the girl.
Realizing something was amiss, Joel drew his sword and slipped into the shadows of the buildings.
Using the dim night as cover, he moved forward carefully.
After only a few steps, he heard hurried footsteps.
Peeking out cautiously, he saw several Winterfell soldiers closing in from his direction.
'Who are they chasing?'
The thought had barely crossed his mind when he noticed the girl who had just been with him following behind the soldiers.
'Damn it. Did that stupid prince let something slip? Are they here for me?'
'But I haven't done anything yet!'
A sense of dread rose in his heart.
'If they catch me, I'll never be able to explain myself.'
'In the eyes of these lords, just accepting an assassination job is already a grave crime!'
Joel immediately retreated, planning to steal a horse on the eastern side of the Winter Town and flee overnight.
But as he backed away, he accidentally stepped on a branch.
Crack—
The searching soldiers instantly tensed.
"Who's there!"
Joel dared not answer and turned to run.
"That's him! It's him!"
The girl recognized Joel by his clothes and shouted at once. The Winterfell soldiers surged forward.
"Stop!"
"Catch him! It has to be him!"
Shouts rang out one after another as torches flared to life, and they began to chase Joel.
Joel sprinted desperately forward. Relying on his familiarity with the Winter Town from the past two days, he quickly reached a nearby stable.
There were indeed several horses inside.
Without hesitation, Joel vaulted onto one.
But just as he was about to ride off, Galon suddenly leapt out from the side and slashed with his sword.
"Where do you think you're going!"
'The Bear Slayer!'
Joel was horrified. He hurriedly raised his sword to block, but with a loud clang, his blade was knocked from his grasp and sent flying.
By sheer coincidence, the sword flew toward Galon's side.
For an instant, Galon had no choice but to turn his head and dodge.
"Hyah!"
Seizing the chance, Joel spurred the horse and charged out of the Winter Town.
"After him!"
At that moment, Ser Rodrik also arrived. The two mounted up and pursued him, one rider apiece, without letting up.
__________
Upto 20 chapters ahead on patreon :-
patreon.com/Xorath