Game Of Thrones... With A Twist

A Game of Thrones - Chapter 8

Sam was quiet as he trudged up next to Jon before taking a peek over the Wall before he spoke with some echo of fear in his voice, "I don't like high places."

"You can't fight. You can't see. You're afraid of heights and almost everything else probably. What are you doing here, Sam?" Jon asked after he listed all of Sam's faults.

Sam looked down before he spoke, "On the morning of my 18th nameday, my father came to me. 'You're almost a man now,' he said. 'But you're not worthy of my land and title. Tomorrow, you're going to take the black, forsake all claim to your inheritance and start north.'" Sam's voice began to waver as he kept speaking.

"'If you do not,' he said, 'then we'll have a hunt... and somewhere in these woods your horse will stumble and you'll be thrown from your saddle to die. Or so I'll tell your mother. Nothing would please me more.'" Sam's revelation left Jon silent as the young Snow looked out towards the wastes once more.

"Ser Alliser's going to make me fight again tomorrow, isn't he?" Sam asked with an inevitable tone. 

"Yes, he is." Jon answer was brusque and short.

Sam groaned before he complained, "I'm not going to get any better, you know."

Jon turned back to him before he spoke with the inkling's of a smile on his face, "Well... you can't get any worse." That particular quip caused both young men to laugh as they stood watch during the darkness of the night above the Wall that was to be their new home.

<The next day, The Gardens, The Red Keep, King's Landing, The Crownlands...>

Ned walked in the gardens of the Red Keep, donned in Stark armor with his badge for office pinned to his left as one Petyr Baelish walked up behind him. 

"I hear you're reading a boring book." The man stated.

Ned only grunted as the two continued walking before the stern Stark lord spoke, "Pycelle talks too much."

"Oh, he never stops." Baelish commented before he spoke, "Do you know Ser Hugh of the Vale?" Littlefinger asked. Ned shook his head in the negative. 

"Not surprising. Until recently, he was only a squire – Jon Arryn's squire. He was knighted almost immediately after his master's untimely death." That little tidbit of information definitely gained the Hand of the King's interest in the matter.

"Knighted for what?" Ned asked. 

Baelish only shrugged with a sly smile, which served to poke at Ned's patience as the man asked, "Why are you telling me this?" 

"I promised Cat that I'd help you." Was Baelish's reply to Ned's enquiry.

"Where is Ser Hugh? I'll speak to him." Ned decided. 

"A singularly bad idea." Baelish disagreed before he pointed out to a child that sat under the tree whilst watching Ned and Petyr. 

"Do you see that boy there? One of Varys' little birds. The Spider has taken a great interest in your comings and goings." Baelish informed Ned quietly, keeping his voice low so that they weren't overheard.

"Now look there." Baelish pointed an elderly man that was busy tending to the gardens... but kept an eye on the two members of the Small Council just the same. "That one belongs to the queen."

"And do you see that septa pretending to read her book?" Baelish pointed to a septa that looked down as soon as the Lord Stark's eyes fell on her, going back into a nonchalant and falsely innocent façade.

"Varys or the Queen?" Ned asked. 

"No, she's one of mine." Baelish corrected confidently with a sly smile on his face.