Game of Thrones:Dawn of Ice and Fire.

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Chapter Thirty-Three: The Wolf Within

The feast carried on in the great hall, but out here, beneath the stars, the world felt quieter.

Jon sat with Ghost beside him, the direwolf's thick white fur glowing under the moonlight. Robb leaned against the low stone wall opposite him, arms crossed, Greywind sitting attentively at his feet. The air between them was still, charged with something unsaid, something Robb was struggling to put into words.

Jon waited.

Finally, Robb spoke.

"When you called for Ghost this morning at the market, I felt something," he admitted, his voice hesitant. "When Ghost ran to your side, I knew that Greywind was following. I could feel it—like a whisper in the back of my mind."

Jon straightened, watching his brother closely.

He glanced around, listening.

His beast-like senses stretched outward, picking up the distant sounds of laughter and celebration from inside the hall. The scent of roasting meat lingered in the air, but there were no unfamiliar scents nearby. No one was close enough to overhear.

Satisfied that they were alone, Jon turned back to Robb.

"Do you remember Old Nan's stories?"

Robb blinked at the sudden question. "What?"

"The ones about the First Men," Jon continued, voice steady. "About skin-changers and wargs."

Robb frowned. "Of course I remember. We all grew up with those tales."

Jon leaned forward. "They weren't just tales, Robb. That's the history of the North. The history of House Stark."

Robb scoffed, shaking his head. "Jon, are you saying I skin-changed into Greywind?" He let out a short laugh, though there was no real humor in it. "Come now, don't jape about this, brother. Those are just stories to amuse children."

Jon held his gaze, unwavering. "They're not just stories."

There was something in Jon's tone—something firm, unyielding.

Robb hesitated.

Jon exhaled, then made his decision. "I'm a skinchanger, Robb."

Robb stared at him. "What?"

Jon nodded. "I am a skinchanger."

Robb's skepticism was clear.

Jon sighed. "Let me prove it."

He sat up straighter. "Hold up any number of fingers," he instructed. "I'll close my eyes and see through Ghost's."

Robb hesitated but eventually lifted three fingers.

Jon shut his eyes, reaching through his bond with Ghost. It was effortless, second nature at this point.

Through Ghost's eyes, the world looked sharper. More vivid. He saw Robb clearly, saw Greywind sitting beside him, his head tilted slightly in curiosity.

Jon smirked. "Three."

Robb frowned but said nothing.

He changed the number, holding up five fingers.

Jon answered immediately. "Five."

Robb's brows furrowed.

"Again," he said, changing it to two.

"Two," Jon responded without hesitation.

Robb slowly lowered his hand, looking at Jon with something like awe.

"This is real," he whispered.

Jon nodded.

Robb ran a hand through his hair. "But… those were just stories."

Jon sighed. "No. They were warnings. Our ancestors passed them down so we wouldn't forget what we are."

Robb stared at him, his mind clearly racing.

Jon placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "This is a gift, Robb. Only one in a thousand people with the blood of the First Men have it."

Robb swallowed hard. "But… us?"

Jon nodded. "The blood of the First Men runs strong in House Stark. Every one of us—me, you, Sansa, Arya, Bran, Rickon, Lyanna—we all have it."

Robb took a deep breath, trying to process what he was hearing.

After a long pause, he met Jon's eyes.

"So… what now?"

Jon exhaled. "Now, I teach you how to use it. How to embrace it."

Robb ran a hand down his face. "And if I don't want it?"

Jon raised an eyebrow. "You do want it."

Robb hesitated.

Jon smirked. "You want to see through Greywind's eyes."

Robb let out a breath. "Aye."

Jon nodded. "You'll be able to do a lot more than that."

Robb raised an eyebrow.

Jon turned to Greywind, who was watching them closely. "From now on, the bond between you and Greywind won't just be one of man and direwolf."

Robb listened intently.

"A part of you will always be in him, and a part of him will always be in you," Jon explained.

Robb swallowed. "What does that mean?"

Jon leaned forward slightly. "You'll learn to move as one. To think as one. To feel as one."

Robb exhaled, staring at Greywind.

Then he turned back to Jon, his expression resolute.

"Teach me."

Jon smiled.

He had expected hesitation. He had expected resistance.

But Robb was a Stark. He didn't shy away from the truth.

Jon extended his hand.

Robb clasped it.

And in that moment, something shifted.

Jon felt it—like a pulse in the air, a ripple of energy.

Greywind let out a low growl, ears twitching.

Ghost lifted his head slightly.

Robb frowned. "What was that?"

Jon's grip tightened. "The first step."