ebookpocket.com #147 - Chapter 33: Meeting with Ed
#147 - Chapter 33: Meeting with Ed
The outer city wall was about 80 feet high, and the inner city wall was about 100 feet high. There were many guard towers on the outer city wall, while the inner city wall, unlike the southern side, had wooden roofs and a large number of observation holes. The gate tower was composed of two huge fortresses.
Entering Winterfell, on the left side was the blacksmith shop, with the sound of iron hammering "ding-dong~ ding-dong~". Liu Yuan dismounted, tossed the reins to the guard. Immediately, a groom stepped forward and led the warhorse to the stable behind the blacksmith shop. A soldier had already run to the main fort to inform them, after all, he was a guest from afar and needed to wait for the Duke's audience.
While waiting, Liu Yuan noticed someone watching him, and followed the gaze. It was a very tall middle-aged man, as tall as two meters, but with a simple and honest appearance. He was holding a little girl who was just over one year old. Beside him were three boys aged seven or eight. One of the boys was also holding a little girl of about four years old. That little girl seemed a little shy and hid behind the strong man. It was the boys who were observing him, looking at the armor on his body with envy.
At this moment, a gray-robed scholar came over. His scholar's collar was just a few simple metal pieces, among which was a rare Valyrian steel chain.
Liu Yuan stepped forward to greet him: "Hello, Scholar Lu En, long time no see."
Scholar Lu En stared at Liu Yuan for a long time, seemingly remembering the person in front of him, and said hesitantly: "You are... Sir Garron!"
Liu Yuan smiled and said: "That's right, it's me. It's been eight years since we last met, how are you!" Scholar Lu En was the apprentice of Verris Flower, the former scholar of Winterfell, and studied at the Citadel during the Aegon years 280-283. He studied mystics and magic with Doctor Marwyn, and that is where he met Liu Yuan. When Veris the scholar died in Aegon 283, Lu En went to Riverrun to continue serving Ed Stark. He delivered Caitlin's first child, Robb.
Lu En was also very happy: "Sir Garron, I'm very happy to see you here. You are...?"
Liu Yuan: "As you know, my wish since I was a child has been to travel the world. I just came to visit Duke Ed, and by the way, to see the legendary Others and giants in the North."
Lu En: "Hehe, Others are just legends. But at the Night's Watch, someone has seen giants beyond the Wall, but I don't know if it's true. Let me introduce you, these are the Duke's children. The eldest son, Master Robb, Miss Sansa and Miss Arya, Master Theon, the Duke's adopted son, this is Jon Snow... and..."
"Hodor~" the big man said in a muffled voice.
Liu Yuan smiled. These children were the future protagonists. He never thought that the first meeting would be in such a scene.
At this time, the guard who had gone to report the news ran back. He saluted and said: "Sir Garron, Lord Ed welcomes your arrival. Please come with me, he is waiting for you in the parlor."
Several little ones also wanted to follow, and Scholar Lu En was a little helpless, so he went with them. Scholar Lu En introduced Winterfell to Liu Yuan. The place they were staying before was the training ground, and the place where Lu En and the children came out was the Library Tower. After passing through the inner castle gate, they entered the castle. Directly opposite was the Great Hall of the castle, which was used to entertain guests and as a family dining place for the castle owner. The hall was quite large, with the outer walls built of gray stone and covered with flags. There was a gate made of oak and steel facing the castle courtyard.
In the courtyard, there was a small domed chapel, built by Duke Ed for Caitlin, who believed in the Seven Gods. To the north of the chapel was the main fort, where the Lord's parlor was located, which was also a daily office. As soon as he entered the main fort, he felt a noticeable increase in temperature. Scholar Lu En said: "The entire Winterfell is built around an ancient godswood(godswood: 神木林) and hot springs. The spring of the hot spring is located below the main fort tower. The warm spring water is transported between the walls through granite pipes to warm each room. This makes Winterfell more comfortable than other castles in the harsh winter of the North."
Arriving at the Lord's parlor on the third floor, Duke Ed was waiting for him, warmly shaking his hand: "Welcome, Sir Garron, I am very glad that you came to Winterfell."
Liu Yuan also said politely: "Thank you, it's been more than a year since we last met, Lord Ed's demeanor is still the same!"
Besides Ed, there was also Lady Catelyn in the room, with a big belly.
Liu Yuan calculated the time, and the one in her belly should be Bran Stark, the child who was pushed down the broken tower by Jaime. When Liu Yuan watched the show, he thought Bran was the protagonist, but he almost got a box lunch in the first episode.
Several children followed Lu En into the room, and the originally small study seemed a little crowded. Ed frowned, and Catelyn saw her husband's displeasure. After saying sorry to Liu Yuan, she led the children away. Scholar Lu En saw that the two had something to talk about, and tactfully said goodbye.
Ed Stark was silent for a while, and said: "Sir Garron, I still have to say thank you to you!"
Liu Yuan raised his hand to interrupt him: "Lord Ed, I have a question, why did Ashara die?"
The sudden question made Ed stunned. He didn't expect Liu Yuan to suddenly question himself. But a sense of infinite guilt welled up in his heart: "I'm sorry, it's my fault. When I went to Starfall to return Dawn back then, Ashara couldn't accept the truth. She was so sad that she accidentally fell off a cliff. It's all my fault that I couldn't pull her back." His fingers were deeply buried in his hair, and his face was sad.
Liu Yuan said indifferently: "Yes! A young noble lady, broke up with her family for love. She ran away from home but found out she was pregnant. She was in adversity and still looked forward to her lover coming to marry her. Do you know? When I met her in Oldtown, she only had thirty copper stars left on her body. Ashara and I stayed together for nearly a year, and we got along like siblings. But what she waited for was the news of your marriage in Riverrun. She was so sad that she gave birth prematurely. Later, she seemed to be desperate for you, so she returned to the Dayne family. Ashara may have had the last glimmer of hope for you, but what she waited for was Dawn you sent. Death may be the best liberation for Ashara."
Ed was silent for a long time, his eyes filled with pain. This person was educated to be very upright and had a very strong sense of responsibility. He said: "Ashara mentioned to me the help you gave her, and I am also very grateful to you. Last year, during the crusade against the rebellion, it was a pity that I didn't have the opportunity to talk to you alone."
Liu Yuan sat down: "We should respect Ashara's choice. I heard that you brought back a bastard back then, is that the little boy I just saw? But what about Jia Lin?"