Chapter 4 Dances with Wolves
Winterfell is not actually a city, strictly speaking it is just a military fortress of the Stark family.
It covers an area of several acres and is surrounded by two huge and thick walls. Clay followed the Stark family's escort through the east gate that was about to close and entered the northern capital.
Guards bearing the emblem of the direwolf lit torches, slightly dispelling the darkness that filled every inch of the air.
"Friends of the Mandalay family, please wait here for a moment. I will report to Sir Roderick and he will arrange a suitable residence for you."
Clay nodded. It was already evening, and it was indeed not a good time to visit Duke Stark.
The guards left in a hurry, and Clay and his party waited quietly in front of the main castle. Only Vera looked around on horseback.
About twenty minutes later, a stocky old man holding a helmet appeared in Clay's field of vision.
He wore a crimson cloak, a long sword hanging from his waist, and walked steadily.
"Winterfell welcomes you." He said lightly, and then introduced himself:
"I am Roderick, the trainer of Winterfell. What's the matter with you all coming so far?"
Clay got off his horse, and the remaining guards and Vera also dismounted when they saw this, and walked up to Roderick. He looked at the old man who dedicated his life to the direwolf family and smiled:
"Hello Sir, I am Clay Manderly, and this is my sister Vera."
Roderick had actually heard of Clay's name when he was just born, but since Clay had always kept a low profile and disappeared in Westeros for two years, he didn't even think of Clay for a while. who.
A branch of the Mandalay family? Roderick frowned. He had served the Stark family for nearly fifty years, and he had never encountered a branch of the family directly requesting to meet the Duke of Winterfell.
This is against the rules.
But everyone in the Stark family understands that when winter comes, the lone wolf dies and the pack survives, and the Stark family has no reason to reject or drive away this strange Mandalay kid in front of them.
"If you want to see your lord, you have to wait until tomorrow. You will stay in Winterfell today. I will report to your lord tomorrow." Since it was getting late, Roderick had no interest in talking and said concisely.
Clay naturally had no objection to the guests being as guests as they wanted. The Stark family's guards were there to take care of their horses and arrange the guards. Clay pulled Vera, who was a little afraid of the dark, and followed Roderick, who was not tall.
The night passed quickly, and the warm sunshine once again shone into this ancient fortress.
Clay, who had gotten up early, was practicing the junior wolf school swordsmanship that comes with level 1 demon hunters. He wielded a well-made half-hand sword awkwardly. Although it was difficult, every move was not sloppy.
"Are you also practicing swordsmanship?" Clay's swing of the sword into the air was stopped by a young voice behind him.
Clay retracted his sword and turned around, looking in the direction of the sound.
A young man wearing simple clothes was standing at the door of the small courtyard where Clay and his group lived.
He has dark brown hair, is very thin, and has a gray dagger hanging from his waist.
The boy saw Clay stopped, so he walked over and stretched out his hand like a little adult:
"My name is Jon, I'm sorry." There was a boy's shyness in his voice.
Oddly, he didn't introduce his last name, but Clay already guessed who he was.
"Clay." The two shook hands, and Clay said his name, but also did not mention his last name.
The eighth grade boy in front of him was Jon Snow, the later King of the North, who had the blood of a wolf and a dragon. His surname was a very sensitive place for him, and he was very concerned about his illegitimate status.
"Are you... from the Mandalay family?" Jon stared at the mermaid flag planted in the yard, identifying it for a while before asking hesitantly.
Because he was not favored by his mistress, Catelyn, Jon had no systematic heraldry education at all, and he knew nothing about these complicated family relationships.
Seeing Clay nodding, Jon's eyes flashed with darkness. Although he was born into the noble Stark family, he would rather have his own surname like the Manderly family in front of him, who is a head taller than him. , he hated the damn bastard symbol of Snow very much.
Jon quickly adjusted himself. As the best swordsman of the younger generation of the Stark family, he had just observed the trajectory of Clay's sword swing and the timing of his steps. This was something Ser Roderick had never taught him. .
The young man's competitive spirit took over and he couldn't help but ask: "Hey, can I have a sword show with you?"
Although he has not learned the essence of Wolf School swordsmanship at all, Clay certainly would not refuse such a challenge. He smiled heartily and said:
"Of course, Jon."
The two stood still, and the Mandalay family guard who had already stood up consciously made room for his young master.
"Be careful. Sir Roderick said that I am the best swordsman in the family, even better than Rob." This simple-minded boy did not realize that his identity had been exposed by these words. , which prince in the north doesn’t know the name of the heir to the north?
The two were facing each other, and a large circle of people had unknowingly gathered around them. There were guards from the Mandalay family and Starks. Sir Roderick was among them. Behind him stood a middle-aged man. He was staring intently at the field.
After circling the field a few times, Jon found that Clay's footsteps were constantly oppressing him, denying him a comfortable opportunity to launch an attack. He made a prompt decision, shouted low, and charged forward with a swing of his sword.
With a clang, Clay's sword was able to stop Jon's attack at his waist. He didn't expect Jon's attack to be so sharp. The half-sword in his hand was much heavier, and the swing speed was naturally slower.
Seeing that the attack was blocked, Jon immediately sheathed his sword. Before he could thrust out the second sword, Clay slashed from bottom to top, forcing him to block it with his sword.
The two weapons touched again, and Jon felt a strong force coming from him, and his body couldn't help but take two steps back.
At this time, Clay was grateful that the time spent on Wolf School swordsmanship was not in vain. He quickly stepped up according to the practice pace and cut off the head with one sword.
The weapons collided one after another, causing people around to cheer continuously, but the middle-aged man frowned. He looked at Rodrick who also curled his white eyebrows together. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Rodrick say:
"It's hard to handle. Jon may lose."
In the field, two teenagers waved weapons, and behind them, the running wolf flag representing the Stark family and the mermaid flag of the Mandalay family fluttered quietly in the warm morning light.
"Interesting boy." The middle-aged man looked at the field, his gray eyes reflecting Clay's figure.
"When they are finished, inform him that I will wait for him in the lobby." The middle-aged man left the crowd.
"Yes, Your Majesty the Duke."
