Winterfell CastlePOV of Eddard Stark

  Ned was standing in the courtyard along with his dy wife and their three children Robb, Sansa, and baby Arya.

  Just a few minutes ago, the giant eagle that he had e to associate with Domeric Boltoered the Maester's rookery with a message on his leg, g that Lord Bolton and his ente would arrive in Winterfell within half an hour.

  He khat it was not necessary for him to wait for one of his own bannerman like this. But House Bolton was one of the greatest houses in the North, sed only to the Starks and he khat he o show his respects to Lord Bolton even if the lord iion was just a 7-year-old boy.

  The guards had already annouhat Lord Bolton's party of 20 men was already within sight.

  Arya squirmed unfortably under her mrip, a out a sigh befiving Cat a sympathetic look.

  Of all the children that were born to them so far, Arya was the ohat gave them the most trouble. He just hoped that she would grow up fast or all the hairs on his head would bee gray before long.

  It was then that he heard the beat of hoofs ing closer to them and looked up to see their guests and froze.

  A silence desded upon the courtyard as a rge bck direwolf ehe Winterfell gates with a snarl on its fad Ned felt intimidated by the sight.

  He was the veteran of a war, was the Lord Paramount and Warden of the North, and had killed numerous men in life aill felt intimidated.

  And not only at the sight of the direwolf but also at the boy who was riding the direwolf with such ease and grace as if he had been riding one since his birth.

  There was just… something about that boy that screamed 'dao his senses and when their eyes met, time stopped.

  ark felt naked as the boy gazed into his eyes. As if ead every single one of his secrets were id bare in front of the boy and as if hearing his thoughts, the boy's lips quirked in a slight smile and theed his gaze from him and Ned let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding.

  But despite the fact that the boy was now the rest of his household, there was a slight pressure on him. As if he was standing in the presence of a king and not a 7-year-old boy.

  And then the boy smiled, and the pressure was gohe time that seemed to have stilled until this point started to flow as the boy desded from the bck Direwolf.

  A direwolf that could easily kill him and the rest of his family before his household guards even had the ce to take out their bdes.

  A direwolf that was the sigil and symbol of House Stark.

  And a direwolf that now beloo Lord Bolton.

  He wondered if this was a show of power on the young Bolton's part. If he wao show off his direwolf and tell him that he was better than them.

  There was also the question of how oh the boy did find a direwolf south of the wall. And how was he able to tame it?

  Then his eyes went to the bahat his men were flying, and he was surprised to see that instead of the Fyed man like he had been expeg, there was noood tree in the banner with a bck background. He had not known that the Boltons had ged their banner. And the fact that the boy had done so on his own viotion clearly spoke of him having enough vi to ge his house and create a whole new reputation. A reputation that he would have never gained if he had tio fly the 'Fyed man' banner.

  There were so many questions running through his mind but as the boy climbed down from the Direwolf and moved toward him along with his retainers, Ned forced those thoughts to the back of his mind for ter.

  Then the boy looked into his eyes and held eye tact for a sed before he went down on his knees, an a that was then followed by the rest of his men except for the woman whom he remembered as Lady Barbrey Dustin.

  Then Lord Bolton spoke his oath of allegiance, a short ceremony. And o was done, Lord Bolton and Lady Barbrey along with the rest of his guards were taken to the great hall for a feast.

  Later that evening, Lord Bolton and Lady Barbrey arrived in his Sor and they talked about various things. He was often fetting that Domeric was only a 7-year-old child and not an adult because of how mature and intelligent he was.

  By the end of their discussion, Lady Barbrey Dustin had bee the official regent of Lord Bolton, and he had sighe charter for the expansion of Dreadfort into a town as well as the charter for creating a port town at the mouth of the Weeping Water River.

  He was not sure exactly why he did that. Signing a charter like this to a house that was ohe enemy of the Starks was not a wise thing to do. He just khat the young lord Bolton could really be persuading when he wao be.

  The day, Lord Bolton and his ente left Winterfell, and he was left with the feeling that instead of dooming his house 'as most boy lords did', Domeric Bolton was going to ge his house for the better.

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