After the feast, Winterfell gradually fell quiet.
Galon dismissed the officers and told them to rest well. He remained behind to spend a little time speaking with Sansa.
Maester Luwin smiled when he noticed the two of them and tactfully left the hall, taking Clay and his sister with him.
Soon the great hall was empty except for Galon and Sansa.
"Galon, would you walk with me in the godswood?" Sansa asked, her eyes filled with quiet hope.
Galon immediately remembered their last kiss and smiled. "It would be my pleasure."
They left the hall together and walked toward the godswood.
Galon glanced up at the red comet burning in the sky. He knew it would not disappear for many months.
When they reached the black pool beneath the heart tree, the pale sap of the weirwood glimmered in the strange light of the moon and the comet, as if the tree were weeping tears of blood.
Within that sacred silence, the noise of war and the shadow of death seemed distant and forgotten.
Sansa took Galon's hand and knelt before the heart tree.
She prayed quietly.
"Old gods, please protect Father, Mother, Robb, Arya, and Rickon. Let them return safely."
"Old gods, grant victory to the North in this war."
"Old gods, protect Galon in battle. Let him always return safely."
Her soft prayer reached Galon's ears. He looked at the heart tree with a strange expression.
He had heard Sansa's heartfelt prayers many times before.
"Old gods, please let Sansa always be happy."
Galon smiled faintly and whispered his own prayer for her.
When they finished, they looked at one another and saw the affection shining in each other's eyes.
The moment lingered between them.
Galon took Sansa's hands and helped her stand. After a brief hesitation, he leaned forward and kissed her.
Sansa flushed slightly at first, then returned the kiss with warmth.
"I love you, Galon," she whispered.
"...And I love you, Sansa."
They embraced and kissed until they were both breathless before finally pulling apart.
Galon steadied his breathing and wrapped his arms around her as they shared quiet words beneath the heart tree.
When the night grew late, he escorted Sansa back to her chamber.
After they wished each other good night, Galon did not rest immediately. Instead, he climbed the battlements once more to make a final patrol.
Only after confirming everything was secure did he return to his chamber.
The moment his head touched the pillow, sleep overtook him like a rising tide.
Yet his consciousness did not sink into darkness.
Instead, he felt the strange sensation again, as though his soul had slipped free from his body and risen lightly into the air, merging once more with the ancient heart tree in the godswood.
But this time felt different.
His awareness seemed to brush against an endless web made of countless threads of thought.
"What is this?"
Within the heart tree, Galon's consciousness could now perceive far more than before.
Perhaps because of the red comet blazing in the sky, everything had changed.
A vast and powerful call echoed through his mind.
"The old gods?"
"Glover?"
Instinctively, he answered the call.
In an instant, his awareness was drawn into the immense web, sinking deeper as if into a boundless ocean.
At the center of that web he saw a magnificent tree beyond description.
Its branches shimmered like stars within a green dream. Its trunk was covered with countless faces.
There were the small faces of the children of the forest with shining green eyes, the stern faces of the First Men, and many other indistinct shapes representing the spirits of the natural world.
One by one, those faces opened their eyes and turned toward the presence of Galon.
No sound was heard.
Yet a vast tide of magic flowed into his soul like warm water.
Light and visions surged through his spirit as green power wrapped around his entire being.
At the same moment, Galon's red eyes blazed like fire.
"My child, on the day you were born, the forests of the North whispered your name: Galon Glover."
"By the ancient pact of the First Men, you are granted the blessing of the old gods."
"So long as you walk upon land that honors the old gods, you shall be immune to the influence of all other deities."
"My child..."
"One day my life will end, and you will inherit all that I am."
As the circle of green magic sealed itself around Galon's soul, every heart tree across Westeros stirred.
Their red leaves rustled without wind, as if celebrating or passing along a silent message.
The sign was subtle yet vast.
Aside from Bran, who perceived it through the green sight, and the three eyed crow connected to his mind, only the leader of the green men on the Isle of Faces sensed it as well.
The green man had been praying in the sacred grove when he felt the message from the heart trees. He immediately fell prostrate upon the ground.
"We hear your will. The green men shall serve the child of the old gods."
At the same time, the three eyed crow spread its wings.
"Stark, did you see it?"
Within the green sight, Bran lifted into the air as well. "Yes. I saw it. The birth of the child of the old gods."
The crow circled him and croaked.
"Assist him. Help him fulfill his destiny. When his mission is complete, House Stark will gain glory beyond measure."
The crow vanished from Bran's vision.
In the real world, Bran suddenly opened his eyes. "...Hodor, take me to Lord Galon's chamber."
"Hodor?"
"Hurry. I must speak with him."
Bran's face was pale, but his eyes shone with intense light.
There was no trace of childish innocence left in his expression.
Since entering the green dreams and learning from the three eyed crow, the secrets he had witnessed had slowly stripped away the simplicity of childhood.
Hodor lifted him onto his back and carried him through the halls toward Galon's chamber.
Meanwhile, within Galon's consciousness, only a moment seemed to pass though an entire night had gone by in the waking world.
The first rays of morning sunlight streamed through the window and struck Galon's face.
He awoke suddenly.
Sitting upright, he realized all his exhaustion had vanished. His mind felt clearer than ever before.
Deep within his soul he sensed a warm protection, as if he were firmly connected to the land beneath his feet.
"The dream... was real?" he murmured, staring at his hands.
"Of course it was."
The door opened as Hodor stepped inside, carrying Bran.
"Bran?" Galon asked in surprise. "You are awake?"
Bran directed Hodor to place him in a chair before dismissing him from the room.
Only the two of them remained.
"You felt it, didn't you?" Bran asked calmly.
"Last night the old gods chose you. The entire Wolfswood whispered your name, Lord Galon."
Galon felt a shock ripple through his heart, though his face remained composed.
"Bran, I do not understand what you mean."
Bran gave a faint smile. His eyes seemed able to see through everything.
"You do understand. Just as I understand that I must become the three eyed crow."
"Lord Galon, I am not here to test you. I am here to assist you."
Galon's gaze sharpened.
He rose from the bed, walked over, and knelt before the boy so they were at eye level.
"Assist me? You are Robb's heir, Bran. If Robb falls in the south, you will become the lord of Winterfell and ruler of the North."
"House Glover serves House Stark. Never the other way around."
He spoke deliberately, both testing Bran and reminding him of their positions.
Bran lowered his eyes to the lifeless half of his body. Pain flickered across his face.
"An heir?" he murmured. "An heir who cannot leave children?"
He looked up again, speaking with a calm beyond his years.
"When I fell from that tower, I lost the right to become a lord. The North does not need a ruler who cannot fight or produce heirs."
"My path lies elsewhere. In the green dreams. In the lair of the three eyed crow. That is my purpose."
He drew a deep breath and spoke with firm conviction.
"The old gods have chosen you according to the ancient pact. You will become this world's new hope."
Galon fell silent.
Looking into Bran's clear and resolute eyes, he knew the boy spoke sincerely.
After all, he had already glimpsed Bran's dreams before.
"The old gods..."
He hesitated before answering. "We will speak of this another time. Allow me to consider it carefully."
Bran smiled.
He already knew Galon had made his choice in his heart.
"In that case, Lord Galon, I wish you victory today."
Outside the door, the soldiers from Cerwyn Castle were already assembled and ready to march.
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