Nerd In the North, Arc 6 – Interlude 1

II-18: The Bard II – o – o – o – o – o – o – o – “Dael.” The word left Lord Veder’s mouth like a hiss, and Oren stepped back instinctively at the sheer vitriol in the sound. His fingers twitched around his newly recovered lute—he’d heard murder in men’s voices before,…

This old stoneheap of a castle was built to last. Old stone, thick walls, towers cutting into the sky like they had a grudge against it. Not a castle, not really. A fortress first, a home second. Guts had seen places like it before—built for war, held by the strong, never meant for comfort.  But…

“H-happy birthday to me…” The fire crackled in the center of their camp, orange light doing that weird dance thing flames always did when you stared too long. Most of the Stark men-at-arms had already rolled into their bedrolls hours ago, snoring like a bunch of broken lawn mowers. Tomard Snow and Wat huddled together…

There’s no place like home.Greg wasn’t sure who said that. Actually, wait, he did. He’d watched Wizard of Oz so many times with his mom growing up and she had read him all the Oz books, too. Even the really, really weird ones, like why were those ducks talking? He frowned to himself, face actually…

A silver stag hung high over the Frostfangs, the full moon pale against a dark sky thick with endless stars.  This high up as the world rushed by, wind carried knives of ice that could kill a man; chill enough to chew through wool and boiled leather both.  Even so, it stopped at skin and…

Snow fell hard, each flake striking steel and leather, before sliding away as it melted  The white haze swallowed distances, yet the field still rang with sounds of battle and death, flesh and steel. Unhindered, the King in the North advanced through it, his boots carving trenches in the mud and drift. His cloak streamed…