chapter 15
I never knew that you could train so hard. The most helpful exercises Ser Barristan taught me are the stretches for the bones and muscles it must be part of the reason why Barristan is still so spry and nimble even in his old age. Even though I knew how important stretching is for the body thanks to the sciences from my past life I never really quite got into it so I could not really apply it here, I just made sure to do basic stretches daily.
But Ser Barristan knows! He knows what stretches aid what muscles and how they help what sword, spear, shield or axe motions.
Another thing is breathing exercises there is not really a proven benefit to them in my previous world unless it's during a certain activity like running or swimming but that´s not what Ser Barristan is doing he spends 30 minutes every day just sitting and breathing in a pattern like he´s meditating.
I ask him about it and he tells me it was something Rhaegar Targaryen taught him and he has been doing it ever since. Grandly thinking to myself it must be something passed down from the Targaryen dynasty or maybe a tradition from old Valerya, I decided there might be some merit to this exercise and asked if he´s willing to teach me which he is, likely using it as a chance to tell me stories about prince Rhaeger while he teaches me the patterns.
He did not have to spend as much time teaching me how to read maps or take care of armor and weapons as Ser Rodrik has made sure I already know weapons and tool upkeep but he still follows tradition and makes me clean his full-body armor.
So most of our time is spent going over the forms I´ve already been taught and eliminating all kinks and learning new forms for all variations of the weapons I use so I know how to use them together and how to fight using only one at a time.
As the weeks pass like this without incident except for these recurring dreams I keep having of running around in the woods on 4 legs chasing game. I have some speculations of what might be happening but don´t dare confirm it yet. One day Robert stops the camp and asks Ned to ride out with him for a chat when they returned Robert looks irritated while Ned is a bit more solemn than usual.
Riding I see Joffrey by himself glaring at me and ask “What are you looking at”
“You! It's your fault Sansa did not come with us! And you told Arya to avoid me”
“You´re blaming me for your fallings to court Sansa? Just because I succeded in courting your sister does not make me to blame for your failings.” I smirk at him “I can teach you the ways of a real man if you´d like” I say and ride off leaving him red stuttering
“Y-y-you”
In the woods where only Ser Barrstan and I are going to spar so no one else can see how we fight as he is teaching me the core of his movements so it would compromise us both if someone we don´t trust sees them.
“You are growing quickly and learning as fast so I think you´re ready to spar only with your axe the Longsword is still too heavy for you to have complete control over”
“Could I damage you even if I lost control?” I roll my eyes at him as he grins
“Nevertheless you will just be using the axe today and the axe and shield after that”
“Using just the axe against the sword will have you at a disadvantage but there are some tricks you can use to even the playing field now show me what you can do”
After 3 hours of getting my ass beat I lay on the ground panting with Barristan nay the devil standing over me lecturing me about what I should have done in every battle until we hear a menacing growl “Step back! Edwyn get behind me.”
“Wait!”
“This is no time to argue boy!”
“I said wait! I step out in front of him as a huge wolf steps out from behind the trees”
“As Barristan is about to charge at the beast, it licks my hand and lays down showing me his belly”
“Wha-” Barristan is gobsmacked he must not have heard about the Stark children adopting Direwolves so I explain to him how it happened
“He must´ve thought you were bullying me that´s why he was growling,” I say as I pet Hunter and sigh in relief that I smell Nymeria on him that means she is just off doing her own thing but has not stopped following us If she ran off I don´t think Arya would ever forgive me.
When we passed the Woolfswood I was a bit worried about them but they could still survive fine in the mountain´s they seem to know to avoid humans when they are on their own and Hunter seems to sense where I am so they can follow just fine.
As I am a true-born Stark and the man to marry Myrcella I have been spending time with the queen so she can get to know who is going to marry her daughter or that is the official reason she gave at least to get me into her carriage.
In the carriage she asks me to tell her about herself as she fans herself with her blouse shaking her chest and giving me a look at her cleavage she is testing me, I know it!
That talk about getting to know me is nothing but an excuse to see how if I can be controlled through lust or other means, so that I can be a potential puppet for the Lannisters to control the north. I play along, it´s not like it's difficult to look entranced by the sight as I feel a tightness in my pants.
To sell the ACT! ACTING. I even stop my hand mid-air from groping at her chest pull it awkwardly back on my lap and keep on talking about what it was like growing up in Winterfell. She hides her victorious smirk at my actions amusement in her eyes like she found a new toy.
Do you think you hid your intentions bitch? I can almost feel your insidious cackle rumbling from your soul!... I say only in my mind. I smile and talk about growing up and being raised by my honorable Father and Innocent mother.