Chapter 2: reward
Morning came like any other day before it and the next one. Snow continued to fall, and the northern winds remained cold. He had been in this land for more than two moons, but the snow did not stop. He needed better, warmer clothes. He was sure he would get some gold for this.
Waking up, the brothel was filled with noise. Washing his face in a basin of cold water, his hair slick back. They called him the Dornish, as some children had passed him the day before. His one revolver lay behind his pillow, his bed made of feathers and hay with a bear hide as a covering.
As he finished wearing all the same clothing as he had before, he looked to the small pouch to the side of his hip and felt the two small coins. He had two silver coins, just enough to feed himself and Midnight, who was placed in the stables of Winterfell. Opening the door to his room, he passed by the woman who made him advance. Some showed him their bare teats; he had heard a nun once say that. A man should save himself for the right woman.:: Jesus," he cursed. Going down the stairs, they creaked under his weight.
"The man of the hour." Said an old hag; she was behind a counter, and behind her was a door that led to the kitchens. "Eat up; lord Stark wants to meet you, the man who rid him of this business of wildlings and poachers, in the Wolfswood." She said, giving out a bowl of barley and bread with cooked meat. The bread was soaked with carrots and potatoes. And small seasoning. A spoon hung to the side of it.
He took the bowl and began to eat. "Thank you, " he said. My my, I thought you would be one of those self-centered lords, but it seems you have a little chivalry to you. It seems you might just be knighted."
"A knight without a sword," Elijah said. Laughing as bits of the food flung from his mouth. "It is not the first time such a thing has occurred. Noble children get knighted without lifting a sword at all." She argued.
"But we are in the north. And in the north, you worship the old gods." Elijah said as he dug into his food and soon finished. When he was done, he stood from where he sat. and reached into his pouch but was stopped. "On the house." She said. He nodded and then left through the wooden doors as some of the men and women in the brothels whispered.
When he walked out, the sun was high into the sky, brimming down onto a small barrel of water, making it reflect like glass, blinding him as he got out. The snow shined brighter for it. Elijah walked along the roads of the small town. Man and woman made way for him and cheered for him as he passed them. They recognized him by his hat and the queer way of dressing.
A beard was starting to grow on his face, and he would soon need a blade to shave himself. When he reached the eastern gate of Winter Town, he said, "I have been invited by Lord Stark." He needed not to show his invitation; he did not have one, but Lord Stark did say he expected him to come to the great hall.
Lord Stark sat in his house seat with ice in between his legs; the Valyrian steel sword was a broad sword and said to be light, which was unrealistic for a sword of that caliber; the metal was said to cut better than any sword out there. Lord Stark was overlooking the people in the hall; guards were to the side of him and the hall, ready to make arrests as man made their cases. As he saw Elijah how the man had entered and leaned to the side of the door. He nodded in Acknowledgement. When all was done, Elijah was the only one left. Lord Stark, Eddard, as the people knew him, stood from his seat, and he asked one of the servants for food and wine. The tables had been moved to the side of the hall to make space for the people earlier; there was a fifteen-year-old boy beside him. He looked like one of the guards on the day before.
Eddard came to greet Elijah. " I'm glad you came. I have heard of your tales all over the north. Please welcome to Winterfell." Eddard had the tables moved back to the center. He sat at the head seat, and Elijah sat close to him.
"I heard the day before you wanted to meet me?" Elijah asked. "Aye, I did; I wanted to see the man who could kill hundreds of wildlings, a group that is small but big enough to be seen as a militia… I would like to reward you," Eddard said. "reward me..For what?" he asked
"well, you have saved me the trouble of going around the north and appeasing my lords, though I wish for them to handle these troubles themselves. However, that is not the case, and some of the small villages need men like you. Brave man." As he said that, he looked to Elijah to see if he would take the bait; he had learned a great deal from Jon Arryn. And that was persuasion. And having an advantage.
"Brave men?" Elijah said, confused. "I am not brave, I am a man looking to die, Stark, a man with no ambition but in need of Adventure; one of these days, I will die with no children and no wife, but it is what I deserve. I am not a brave man; I am a stupid man." The others around him, the guards, all looked bewildered most men would be relished to know that a noble lord had seen them and found interest in them.
"I will not beat around the bush," Eddard began. I need your services, but I also know that I must reward you. The amount of gold that I would require to thank you for the whole north is not enough. So, I would like to give you another gift."
Elijah was now interested; he was new to this land and its customs and what is and was expected of him; there were times he would say lord this and that or call them by name. "I would give you a lordship and a holdfast to call your own; I would offer moat Cailin, but only a stark can hold that. However, there is land, to the sandy shores and seas dragon point. It is as vast as my own lands." The guards gasped, but one look from lord stark shut them up. The fifteen-year-old guard behind him, too, was surprised.
"Is this a gift or a responsibility? All that I see here is me serving you, a man who can kill far away and closer to your lands than other houses. I have been to this sea dragon point, a land raided by the iron borns and killed a few of them on my stay there. What do you really want, stark? Please don't lie to me. Say it like a man with your chest."
Eddard nodded and stood. "You have a good heart, "Fire hands." You help those in need and ask for little in return. That is why I believe I can trust you. But you are also dangerous; you are unpredictable and capable of killing any man, and from far away, that is, I don't want an enemy of such; rather, I would like to guarantee/the safety of my family by offering this." He pointed to Sea Dragon Point on the map on the table.
This had been prepared, Eddard knew he would come for his prize and reward. A smile formed on Elijah's face. " You did not need to do this; I am a simple man; since you offered a lordship, then I will take it; however, do not blame me for becoming too powerful. However, I will swear my allegiance to you; my word is my bond." Eddard nodded in victory; he had seen the insides of the man's jacket and seen the metal sheen of the weapon. He had men sent to the Wolfswood to find the bodies, and when they did, heads blew off, and chests caved in.
"Kneel," Eddard said. And Elijah did so. Eddard took ice the Valyrian Steele sword. And brought it to Elijah's shoulder, "In the name of Robert Boratheon, first of his name, king of the Andals, and the first man, lord of the seven kingdoms. I, Eddard Stark, give .." he looked to Elijah, and he Answered for him. "Elijah, Elijah Salamander." He said.
"Elijah salamander, the lands of the sandy shores and sea dragon point. Rise, lord Salamander of sea dragon point."
When Elijah stood up, he raised his hand in a shake, and Eddard took it. "You will not come to regret this; ask anything of me, and I will help." He said. With that said, Eddard knew he had gotten a powerful ally.
In the coming days, Elijah had made his banner. The banner was. Salamander, with its maw open for all to see, it turned on itself like a snake, spitting out shards of ice in a field of black. The Salamander was painted white. After that day, Elijah left the keep and went on a few miles away from Winterfell. He closed his eyes and thought of the small village on Sea Dragon Point. He disappeared from the field of grass and appeared in the middle of the forest.
He traveled for a few minutes with his horse when he began to see the small village. He was now lord Salamander, and here is where his journey would begin. He would build a large keep, and he would steal if he had to. One of the people he was going to Steele from was he looked in the direction of Pyke, and a smile came to his face. "Let the games begin." He said.
It was as if the old gods laughed with him that day. The wind blew past him, whistling past. As he entered the town, he showed his banner, and the children yelled cheers. The elderly clapped with him, and the population was some three thousand. They were all farmers, though the land they lived on was not ideal; Elijah had the idea of cutting down the trees, removing the trunks, and making that land grow and sow seeds; he would plant potatoes first, then barley and wheat.
And if it is not enough, he will steal some more; he would travel the world, and steal this is what he would do, make friends in high places if he has to." He gave himself two years to build a keep as large as Winterfell and two years to travel to the mountain clans, the ones he had heard of. And give them something; in return, they would give him gold.