The throne of the King of Winter was not the end.
Continuing forward, after passing through long passages, ruins, underground rivers, and caves, they saw light.
Clear white light poured down from the bright sky, filling their sight with cold, strong, and battered ancient trees, interspersed with patches of never-melting old snow.
A rough-faced veteran whispered, "This is the Wolfswood."
The oldest and most vast forest in the North.
No wonder they could breathe so easily in such a deep part of the crypt.
It took them over an hour to walk from underground to the gates of Winterfell, and by then the sun had already set.
Lord Eddard rushed over immediately.
"Where did you run off to? Do you know how worried everyone was?"
The Lord turned to the side, "Vayon, find the soldiers in the crypt. They've been found, tell them to come up quickly."
Vayon Poole, the steward of Winterfell, immediately took the order and left.
Arya shook her father's arm, her face full of excitement, "The crypt is so deep and long, and there's a really big throne!"
Bran couldn't help but add, "That must be the throne of the King of Winter."
Lord Eddard's face was still serious, "Forget about any throne, your mother is frantic. Hurry back."
"Besides," Eddard glanced at Joffrey.
"The King of Winter is just a story now. The Winterlands are now the North, and there are no more kings."
Joffrey smiled apologetically, "I've caused you trouble, Lord Eddard. Don't blame Bran and Arya, it was all my idea."
"Thinking about it now, I really shouldn't have disturbed the rest of the Stark ancestors."
Bran was still too naive and immediately blushed, quietly confessing to his father, "Actually, I insisted on going. Father, please don't misunderstand Your Highness."
"Honesty is a good quality." Eddard patted Bran's shoulder, "I don't blame you. It's good that you're back."
Bran and Arya both breathed a sigh of relief.
On the way back to the main keep, the two children who had successfully explored were still proudly showing off the wonders they had seen in the crypt to their father.
Joffrey could feel Eddard's gaze.
It seemed Lord Stark understood who the real culprit was.
He had trespassed into the secrets of the Starks without permission, disturbed the dead, and led two Little Wolves into danger.
Joffrey silently provided a voice-over for this: Ding, system prompt, Eddard Stark favorability -1, Winterfell reputation -1.
Fortunately, his identity as the Crown Prince served as a shield.
As soon as they stepped into the great hall, the King's laughter drifted over.
There was indeed a main course for dinner.
The wild yak the King had personally killed was skewered on a thick iron rod, turning in circles. Transparent fat occasionally dripped onto the charcoal fire below, sparking up clusters of flames.
The yak had never been so popular with so many people.
Whenever a layer was cooked, a dedicated person would come to cut off just the right amount of meat, and then carefully brush the yak on the grill with spicy, fragrant, or sweet seasonings to suit the different tastes of the nobles.
Joffrey asked for spicy.
The meat was quite firm, with an indescribable wild taste. It was good.
Bran came over.
After half a day of adventure, Bran felt he was already good friends with the Crown Prince.
"Your Highness, I know a lot of places in the city that no one else knows about. We can go play together later, how about it?"
Joffrey particularly didn't want to go to the Broken Tower.
"I'm very interested, but unfortunately King's Landing is urging my father to return, so I can't stay long. I should leave my time for the people of the North."
Joffrey changed the subject.
"Bran, your father will be a good Hand of the King."
"When we get to the South, you'll definitely like the Red Keep. There are many secrets in the Dragonpit and under the Red Keep."
"I just hope Lord Eddard doesn't refuse."
Bran was full of hope, "Why would Father disagree?"
The Dragonpit, this legendary name immediately captivated Bran's heart. How big must the place where dragons lived be? Did Dragonriders live there too?
Bran seemed to see himself dressed in white armor, riding a dragon, guarding the King.
Bran remembered the stories of all the Kingsguard:
Serwyn of the Mirror Shield from centuries ago, Ser Ryam Redwyne, Prince Aemon the Dragonrider, Ser Erryk and Ser Arryk, the twin brothers who died together in the Dance of the Dragons.
Gerold Hightower the White Bull, Arthur Dayne the Sword of the Morning, and Barristan the Bold.
"When Your Highness becomes King in the future, you absolutely must let me be a Kingsguard."
Bran dreamed of his great path as a knight.
Bran, you are the future Greenseer, the Three-Eyed Crow, Brandon Stark.
Joffrey smiled and said, "Definitely."
Skinchangers are also called Wargs. These people have a special talent that allows them to enter and control the bodies of animals with their minds, and can even survive by occupying an animal's body after death.
Legend has it that only one in a thousand people possesses the latent talent of a Skinchanger, and only one in a thousand Skinchangers can become a Greenseer.
Why do most members of House Stark possess the talent of a Skinchanger?
How do Skinchangers work? Why is there no visible magical light on Bran and the others?
Why was Bran sought out by the current Greenseer?
The moment Joffrey sat on the King of Winter's throne, all these questions were answered.
The new Runes revealed many historical truths.
His gaze crossed the long river of time to the distant past, to a time when The North was still called the Winterlands.
At that time, the throne was not in the dark underground. It was bathed in ice and blood.
Countless figures came and went below the throne, offering struggling or despairing sacrifices to the supreme throne.
Long-faced men and women wearing heavy animal skins presided over the sacrifices.
Some held bronze sickles, swords, and axes, cutting the throats of the sacrifices, chopping off their heads, allowing the steaming crimson liquid to seep into the snow and flow towards the throne;
Some raised heavy stones, smashing the flesh and blood of the sacrifices into a pulpy mess;
Some simply placed the heads of the sacrifices beside the throne, sprinkling blood onto the throne.
Souls were exchanged for magic.
He saw the magical light on the throne grow stronger, scattering points of starlight that merged into the figures below.
Not everyone had this privilege. He noticed that the people the starlight drifted towards mostly had grey eyes, dark brown hair, and long faces.
Stark.
These people were already the leaders of that time.
The starlight disappeared into the human bodies.
He saw those people display extraordinary abilities, yet he still could not see the light of magic on them.
He walked down from the throne.
Looking at the throne again, those images dissipated with the wind, leaving only the empty black stone.
He already knew the secret of the Wargs.
There were three Runes on the throne. One was a Mind Rune, and the other two were unknown. But now he could give them names.
One was the Recollection Rune, which allowed him to see the past through a medium.
One was the Bloodline Rune, which could integrate the power of other Runes into the human bloodline. Although weak and not obvious, it was passed down from generation to generation without interruption.
Isn't the weakened version of the Mind Rune the Warg talent?
Greenseers can observe the past through Weirwood trees. The effect of the Recollection Rune is almost identical to this, and even stronger.
No wonder Bran was targeted by the Greenseer.
Can the fate of Bran, the next Greenseer designated by the Three-Eyed Crow Brynden Rivers, not be changed?
Perhaps there could be a Kingsguard "Warg" Brandon Stark.
Joffrey wanted to try.
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