Inside the main keep of Winterfell, Lord Eddard Stark erged from one of the corridors and imdiately caught sight of his wife, Catelyn Tully, busy in the great hall directing the servants.
At this mont, Lord Stark wore a neatly trimd short beard. His hair had been washed clean and combed into place with fine oil—rarely did he look this tidy.
He was clad in a well-fitted set of leather armor, a longsword at his waist.
Draped over his shoulders was a cloak made from the full pelt of a grey direwolf, lined on the inside with soft black velvet and silk.
It looked both warm and regal.
In preparation for the king's arrival, Lady Catelyn Tully of Winterfell was also dressed in full finery—though she wore no cloak for the cold.
However, her face showed signs of weariness. After all, she had been working nonstop for days, managing all the supplies and coordination within the castle.
According to the latest news, the king's party was already nearing Winterfell.
And it was likely they would arrive today.
So, to avoid any missteps, Catelyn still had to make one last round of checks, ensuring everything was in order and nothing had been overlooked.
"Hey—Cat, have you seen Bran?" Lord Stark approached his busy wife and greeted her, though his eyes were scanning the hall.
But seeing that the figure he was searching for wasn't by her side either, Eddard rubbed his brow and, with a hint of helplessness, shrugged and added: "I'm looking for him. And Arya's nowhere to be found either. Septa Mordane ca to complain just now—said she hasn't seen her since breakfast!"
Thinking of those two mischievous children, Lord Eddard Stark could only feel a growing headache.
Catelyn, still in the midst of her busy work, had no choice but to pause for a mont. She looked at her husband and furrowed her brow as well.
"Seven save us—did you send soone to look for them?"
As a daughter of House Tully from the Riverlands, Catelyn's faith was different from that of the North.
But after a short prayer, she noticed the helpless look on her husband's face and quickly realized what was happening. Her tone grew firr as she added: "We can't let ourselves be shad in front of the king and queen—we must find them, now!"
"I know…" Eddard pinched the bridge of his nose and nodded.
After all, if even Catelyn hadn't seen the two troublemakers, then he could only send people to track them down.
And just as she'd said—for a royal visit like this, they had to show the utmost respect and courtesy.
However, just as Eddard leaned forward to kiss Catelyn's forehead and was about to turn and leave to begin his own preparations, he suddenly noticed two figures walking toward him.
Maester Luwin didn't care in the slightest about the lord and lady's public display of affection. To him, regardless of their high status or advanced age, they weren't much different from a pair of naked little boys.
So he squeezed through the crowd and, with a striking knight following close behind, approached Eddard. After a slight bow of respect, he spoke directly: "My Lord! The crowned stag banners have arrived at Winterfell—it's the king's vanguard!"
The busy servants all turned their curious eyes toward the familiar old maester and the unfamiliar figure he brought with him.
Having found Eddard Stark, Maester Luwin gave a respectful bow and stated his purpose. He then stepped to the side and introduced the man who had followed him in—Kal Stone.
"This is Ser Kal Stone, commander of the vanguard in the king's procession."
Whether it was intentional or not, Maester Luwin deliberately introduced Kal's na before anything else.
Upon hearing Luwin's introduction, Kal looked at the man before him—older now than he rembered in the blur of distant mories—and raised a hand to remove his helt.
Then he stepped forward and respectfully bowed to Lord Eddard Stark.
"Lord Stark. I greet you on behalf of His Majesty the King."
The mont he heard that this man was the king's vanguard, Eddard's expression instantly sharpened.
But when he registered Kal's na, the Lord Paramount of the North couldn't help but show a hint of astonishnt on his face.
"Kal?!"
"It's actually you?!"
There was a note of surprise in Eddard Stark's voice—it sounded like he knew Kal.
Stunned for a mont upon hearing the na, he quickly stepped forward and placed both hands on Kal's shoulders, instinctively studying him.
Kal hadn't expected Lord Stark to greet their "first eting" with such enthusiasm. Montarily caught off guard, he reflexively looked up at him.
And as he lifted his gaze, Eddard Stark's grey eyes clearly took in Kal's deep blue eyes.
Then, he looked at Kal's coal-black hair—and finally, his eyes settled on that face, bearing a strikingly familiar resemblance.
Suddenly, his expression turned sowhat dazed.
"Ahem, my lord, Ser Kal Stone is here to confirm whether we're ready to receive the king…"
Noticing his lord's montary lapse, Maester Luwin gave a soft cough beside him, gently reminding him not to lose propriety.
Pulled back to the mont by the reminder, Lord Stark realized his behavior had been slightly improper.
He gave an awkward little smile, then withdrew his large hands from Kal's shoulders and stepped back two paces—though his gaze still lingered, continuing to scan Kal from head to toe.
Lady Stark, standing nearby, showed no particular reaction to her husband's montary loss of composure. But she was quietly curious as to why seeing Kal had affected him so.
And the na Kal Stone… why did it sound so familiar? Catelyn wondered.
Then, Lord Eddard Stark looked at Kal with a slightly apologetic smile and spoke.
"Forgive …"
"Kal—I hadn't expected Robert would knight you. I heard what happened at the inn at the crossroads!"
Once he snapped out of it, Eddard wore a faint smile as he brought up what he knew of Kal.
But seeing the slight confusion on Kal's face as he spoke, Eddard quickly realized sothing—Kal, logically speaking, probably didn't recognize him.
So he added a quick explanation.
"I suppose you wouldn't rember … but I rember you. I even held you once when you were very small."
"It was back in the Eyrie, in the Vale…"
At that point, a subtle trace of sorrow appeared on Eddard's face, as if sothing had just co to mind.
And hearing those words, Lady Stark suddenly rembered who Kal was too.
It had been in the ssage Maester Luwin retrieved from a raven—one sent by the royal procession to relay information ahead of the king's arrival.
When he heard the Lord of Winterfell say this, Kal once again put on a perfectly tid look of confusion.
Then he quickly lowered his head slightly, his tone tinged with just the right amount of restraint.
"It's an honor, my lord!"
"But Lord Stark, I truly don't rember anything from back then… I'm sorry."
Realizing what was going on, Eddard's face also showed a hint of awkwardness.
He waved his hand lightly, gesturing for Kal not to take it to heart, and said, "It's alright. You were only two years old at the ti… and we haven't seen each other since then. It's perfectly natural you don't rember."
Even Eddard Stark himself felt a bit embarrassed. After all, expecting a toddler to rember him—it was a ridiculous notion.
But upon seeing Kal's familiar face, and recalling the string of recent events along with his own mories of the Vale—
It had caused Eddard Stark to lose his composure for a mont.
Kal, for his part, couldn't really respond to that, so he simply smiled, trying to let the mont pass.
Standing before Eddard Stark now felt a bit like those tis in his previous life when, during the holidays, adults would drag him over to greet relatives he had no mory of.
His face wore nothing but awkwardness—an awkwardness that lingered.
After all, the only one he was remotely familiar with was Jon Arryn—and even that familiarity wasn't all that deep.
Still, Kal could clearly sense the genuine affection Jon Arryn had shown him, a kind of doting rarely seen.
After the brief and slightly awkward exchange between the two—
Eddard's mood inevitably sank.
Looking at this young man before him—one who bore a seven- or eight-tenths resemblance to a young Robert, yet appeared even more valiant and handso—it stirred up old mories buried deep in Eddard's heart.
After all, the last ti he had seen Robert… well, that was a long ti ago.
He hadn't expected that their next encounter, after Robert had beco king, would be under such circumstances.
As he looked at Kal, Eddard couldn't help but recall the contents of the letter Robert had sent personally not long ago.
The sudden death of their forr guardian, the king himself crossing half the realm to seek help, and the kingdom standing at a delicate crossroads.
And now, all this added to a series of headaches that refused to stop…
Gazing at Kal, Eddard spoke with a faint sigh in his tone. Whatever desire he had for conversation quickly faded.
"You must be tired after such a long journey. How are you adjusting to the northern cold? Would you like to have Maester Luwin take you to rest first?"
Though Lord Stark still wore his usual warm smile, and even expressed concern for Kal—
Kal, ever observant, keenly noticed the subtle shift in Eddard Stark's expression.
So, still on duty, Kal chose to politely decline the offer of rest.
Instead, he adopted a businesslike deanor and looked squarely at the Warden of the North before him.
"Thank you for your concern, my lord. But I still have duties to attend to," Kal said, glancing around at the busy scene around them. "I need to confirm whether your preparations are complete. I must report back to the king."
Seeing Kal's solemn manner, Eddard let out a slight chuckle. "Of course. We would never be so discourteous."
"Very well then. Thank you, Lord Stark, for all your preparations."
"Oh—right. When I entered the city just now, I noticed that the main gate doesn't seem wide enough for Her Majesty's carriage to pass through directly. You may want to make arrangents for that."
"And also…"
After expressing his appreciation for Lord Stark's efforts, Kal took the initiative to bring up a few details he had noticed earlier and began discussing them with Eddard Stark.
By the ti their conversation ended—covering several logistical matters with the Lord of Winterfell—nearly an entire alti had passed.
When the king travels, it is only proper for his vassals, like Eddard Stark, to receive him with appropriate ceremony.
And as part of the royal vanguard, one of Kal's key duties was ensuring just that—though most of the official coordination was handled by the maesters on both sides.
Still, it was up to Kal to catch the smaller things—like the width of the city gate.
Fortunately, once today's tasks were complete, he'd be able to take a short break for a few days.
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