Desert Wolf

Chapter 24 First Meeting

It would still be a few more days for the Northern Lords to arrive, especially Maege Mormont and her daughters. That gave Torrhen plenty of time to prepare the bear skin for Dacey's wedding gift. He would not present it to her until the wedding day, but Torrhen would give Dacey the Snow Bear cub as a betrothal gift. There was a loud commotion when the boys arrived from hunting. The look on everyone's face when they saw the Stark Brothers come with a gigantic Snow Bear was priceless.

Ned was in his Solar when a guard told him that he needed to see something, "What is it, Jory?"

"Lord Torrhen, Robb, and Jon managed to kill a Snow Bear."

Ned stood abruptly, "A Snow Bear South of the Wall?! Are they alright?"

"Aye, My Lord, the boys are fine. It was Lord Torrhen that gave the killing blow."

Ned's eyes furrowed in concern.

"Come, Jory, let's see what my reckless sons have done." The Lord of Winterfell left his Solar with Jory following behind.

When Ned and Jory arrived in the courtyard, the servants were offloading the giant bear off Morning Star's back. Ned could not believe the bear's size, thinking it looked malnourished. That would explain why it charged the boys. Ned's heart was in his throat when he saw Torrhen covered in blood. Torrhen dismounted his horse and was met by his father, "Are you alright, my son?"

Torrhen beamed at his father, "Aye, Father, I am fine. The blood is not mine."

By this time, the Stark children were in the courtyard; Arya and Bran were jumping up and down, marveling at the bear's size. They suddenly stopped when they heard a soft mewling, "What was that?" Arya asked.

Torrhen smiled at his youngest sister. He pulled a white bundle from his cloak and held it to Arya. She gasped when she realized what it was, "That's a Snow Bear cub! Can I have it?"

Torrhen chuckled, "Aye, it is, Little Sister, but you cannot have it. I plan to give it to Lady Dacey as a betrothal gift," Torrhen sighed, "Had I known that the bear was female, I never would have killed her. She only wanted to ensure the protection of her cub. But I could not let her hurt Robb or Jon."

Ned nodded; he knew Torrhen would do anything to protect his brothers, including exposing his magic. Ned sighed and ordered the bear to be prepared for when the Mormonts arrived. He knew that Torrhen planned to gift the fur to Dacey as a wedding gift. The butcher quickly separated the skin from the bear and prepared the meat. Nothing in the North was wasted. At that moment, the little bear cub mewled in hunger, and Torrhen went into the kitchen to feed it some milk. Using magic, Torrhen convinced the little cub to take the milk offered. He smiled as the cub suckled on the milk-soaked rag. Torrhen could tell that the little one would soon be weaned and eat meat. Torrhen and Nyx spent hours with the cub, trying to teach her how to behave. Nyx was having better luck than Torrhen was.