Tinkering With Life (GoT SI)

A few minutes of exploring later, I found the place I was looking for: the library.

It was smaller than expected, but that wasn't surprising given Castle Black's limited resources.

"Can I help you, young man?"

I turned to see an elderly man sitting in one of the corners of the library, his cloudy eyes seeming to look through me rather than at me. 

I recognized him immediately: Aemon Targaryen.

"How did you know I wasn't just another brother of the Night's Watch?" I asked, curious.

"Your footsteps are unfamiliar," he explained."And anyone I normally expect would have knocked first, and a thief would know that there was nothing of value in here so you have to be someone new."

"Ha! On that, I disagree. If I ever do become a thief, I am pretty sure I would steal books well first additions at least, but I do apologize for entering without knocking."

"Well, at least you have manners. Go on then, tell me who you are. It's pretty rare that someone new comes in here."

I grinned, though he couldn't see it. "How about I show you instead of telling you?"

I approached him and gently placed my hand on his shoulder, channeling my power to heal his eyes and a few other minor ailments. The change was immediate - his cloudy eyes cleared, and he blinked rapidly, looking around the room in wonder before his gaze settled on me.

There was silence for a few moments before Aemon said, "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, El. I have heard so much that I wasn't really sure if it was all one big jest, thank you for giving me my sight back."

"No worries, it's also been paid for, and to be fair, you were kind of creeping me out by not looking at me while talking," I said with a smile.

He laughed at that. "So, what brings you here?"

I told him.

Aemon's expression grew grave as he processed the information. "That is indeed troubling news. If you're right, we need to start preparing immediately. What do you plan to do?"

"For now, I'm only telling people I trust won't start a panic," I explained. "I'll make sure the right people are aware, so you don't need to worry about that."

Aemon nodded slowly. "I understand. Discretion is wise in matters like these."

"That brings me to the other reason I came here," I continued. "Would you happen to have any books on this topic that I wouldn't find in Winterfell's library?"

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Margaery sat in her chambers, frustration evident on her face. "This is impossible," she muttered.

Her brother Willas looked up from the letter he was reading. "What's troubling you, sister?"

Margaery sighed. "How am I supposed to get close to El when he finds an excuse to run away every time I try to talk about anything but healing? And he already seems to be in love with his apprentice, Freya. Now he's just up and left on some journey north of the Wall. What am I supposed to do?"

Willas gave her a sympathetic look. "I can see you've tried your best, so don't beat yourself up over it. Besides, it seems you won't need to push anymore. I just got a letter from Grandmother. Here, it's best if you read it yourself."

Margaery took the letter, finally noticing the worried expression on Willas's face. "Willas, is everything alright back home?" she asked, anxiety rising in her voice.

"Everyone's fine back home. Just read it first."

Margaery read the letter, her eyes widening with each line. When she finished, she looked up at her brother in disbelief. "Are you sure this is real?"

Willas nodded grimly. "Yes, I made sure. I've also uncovered what might have caused such a reaction based on what I've asked around."

"What happened?"

"A couple of mercenaries tried to abduct Freya."

"What?!" Margaery exclaimed.

"Yes, apparently it's not common news because they didn't even manage to get out of Winterfell before they were caught by El himself."

Margaery sat back, processing this information. "It's entirely possible for the two events to be related. But still, to think he's capable of doing something like this..."

"So what do we do now?" she asked after a moment.

Willas sighed. "With this news and El gone for who knows how long, I think it's best we depart for Highgarden soon. We can't extend our stay here much longer."

"I have to finish a trade discussion with Lord Stark," Willas continued. "After that, we shall depart in a few days."

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I spent some time talking with the maester of Castle Black about the Others, hoping to learn something new. Unfortunately, he didn't have much to add beyond what I already knew, so I decided to move on from the library.

After wandering around for a bit, I found myself on a balcony overlooking the training yard.

I watched as Alliser Thorne barked orders at what looked like a group of new recruits, his harsh voice carrying across the yard.

After a few minutes, the men started to notice me, and their distraction caught Thorne's attention. He looked up, his eyes narrowing as he spotted me.

"Who might you be?" he called out, his voice dripping with disdain.

I smiled. "Oh, please don't mind me. You guys go on, I'm just passing by."

Thorne's face reddened. "I am the master-at-arms here at Castle Black, boy, and you look like fresh meat who doesn't know his place yet. So get down here before I need to get my whip."

I was flabbergasted at the gall and frankly, the stupidity on display. 

'Did he really just assume that I was a new recruit just because he had never seen me before?'

But then I realized this could be a lot more fun than I'd anticipated.

With a grin, I vaulted over the balcony railing, landing lightly in the yard below. The recruits backed away.

"Alright then, it's been a while since I've used a sword," I said, my smile widening as I caught the blunted training blade Thorne tossed my way.

Thorne's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You'll regret that, boy," he growled, lunging forward with surprising speed for a man his age.

I sidestepped effortlessly, the steel blade whistling past me. Thorne's eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly recovered, unleashing a flurry of strikes that would have impressed me if I hadn't seen better.

The yard echoed with the sharp clang of steel on steel as I parried each blow with ease. The recruits watched in stunned silence, their fearsome master-at-arms reduced to swinging wildly at thin air.

This dance continued for several minutes, Thorne's face growing redder with each failed attempt to land a hit.

"Stand still, you little shit," he snarled, chest heaving with exertion.

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Now where's the fun in that?" Then, deciding to add insult to injury, I grinned and said, "But I can see you're getting tired, and I've been taught not to make fun of the elderly. So, sure. I will make sure that my feet stay put and only use my sword arm."

To emphasize my point, I casually slipped my left hand into my pocket, holding the blunted sword loosely in my right.

Thorne's face contorted with rage. He charged forward, sword raised high. This time, instead of dodging, I met his strike head-on, blocking it with my blade and effortlessly pushing him back.

"Come on now, surely you can do better than that," I taunted, not even breaking a sweat.

The one-sided duel dragged on, Thorne's attacks growing increasingly desperate while I barely moved from my spot. Finally, boredom overtook me. With a lightning-fast, well-placed strike, I sent Thorne's sword flying from his grip, the blunted steel clattering across the yard.

He stumbled backward, struggling to keep his footing on the muddy ground. His chest heaved as he glared at me.

"Had enough?" I asked, twirling the training sword casually. "Or shall we continue this little… lesson?"

The gathered crowd held their collective breath, a sea of wide eyes and slack jaws. Alliser Thorne stood before me, a man caught between rage and humiliation, his pride visibly battling with the undeniable truth of what had just transpired.

Before Thorne could muster a response, a gruff voice cut through the tension.

"What is going on here?"

The crowd parted, revealing the imposing figure of Jeor Mormont, the Old Bear himself.

He looked at me and the state Ser Alliser was in.

"Lord El, why does my master-at-arms look like he tried to outrun a horse?"

"Ah well, I was just exploring the castle after having a delightful conversation with Maester Aemon. Then I stopped to watch Ser Alliser here training some men, and when he spotted me, he just told me to come join him for training or get whipped,"

I shrugged, my tone light. "Now, I don't know about you, Lord Commander, but I'm not particularly fond of being whipped. So, I played along."

His gaze shifted between me and the still-panting Thorne.

"I see," Mormont said slowly, his eyes narrowing. "Ser Alliser, perhaps you'd care to explain why you thought it appropriate to threaten our guest with a whipping?"

 It was at this moment that realization dawned on Alliser's face – the dawning horror of a man who's just realized he's fucked up.

Thorne's face, already flushed from exertion, turned an even deeper shade of red. He opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again, resembling nothing so much as a fish out of water.

"I apologize. "

I decided to throw him a lifeline – of sorts. "Oh, I'm sure it was all just a misunderstanding, Lord Commander. Perhaps Ser Alliser merely mistook me for a new recruit."

Mormont's lips twitched, fighting back what might have been a smile. "Is that so, Ser Alliser? Did you mistake our guest for a recruit?"

Thorne, caught between pride and self-preservation, managed a stiff nod. "It... appears I may have... misjudged the situation, Lord Commander."

"Indeed," Mormont replied dryly. He turned back to me, his expression softening slightly. "Lord El, on behalf of the Night's Watch, I apologize for this... misunderstanding. "

"Oh, it's not necessary, Lord Mormont," I said, waving off his concern. "No one seems hurt, anyway. Just a bit of exercise, really."

The Old Bear grunted, his eyes still narrowed with suspicion. "Very well, if you insist. As it happens, I came here to inform you that Benjen will have everything you need for your trip ready at dawn."

"Wonderful," I replied, my face brightening. "Oh, and while we're at it, could you point me towards your infirmary? I'd like to hold up my end of the deal as well."

He nodded. "Of course. I'll have someone show you the way." He turned to one of the nearby recruits. "You there, escort Lord El to the infirmary."

As I prepared to follow my guide, I couldn't help but notice Thorne's still confused expression. It was clear he was still trying to piece together exactly what was happening and who I was.

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A/N: If you wish to read ahead you can find 8 more chapters on my Pa treon