Game of Thrones: The Wolf of Deepwood Motte

Garon stood silently in the hunting camp, watching Ned Stark ride away at full speed toward Winterfell.

"Bran fell from the tower… but what about Theon?"

The thought lingered in his mind for only a moment before he was about to question the messenger further, only to see Ned suddenly turn his horse around and ride back toward him.

Ned's face was grim, his brows tightly furrowed with anxiety.

"Garon," he said urgently, "I need to return to Winterfell immediately. Until I come back, you are temporarily responsible for the hunting camp."

"Notify Robb, and make sure the King and the prince are properly attended to."

Garon nodded at once.

"Yes, Lord Stark. I'll arrange for someone to find Robb immediately."

He paused briefly before speaking in a gentler tone.

"You need not worry too much, my lord. Bran is protected by the old gods. He will surely survive this."

Hearing Garon's words of comfort, Ned forced a weary smile before turning his horse once more and galloping toward Winterfell without delay.

Only after Ned's figure completely disappeared from sight did Garon slowly shift his attention toward the messenger.

"What exactly happened to Bran?"

"How did he fall from the tower?"

The attendant looked nervous and shook his head helplessly.

"My lord, I don't know the details either."

Garon narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Then who discovered Bran first?"

"It was Hodor," the attendant replied after thinking for a moment. "I heard that Hodor followed the sound of a direwolf howling and eventually found young Bran lying in a pool of blood beneath the tower."

"Hodor…"

A massive and simple-minded figure instantly appeared within Garon's thoughts.

The stableboy who would one day carry Bran across half the North.

Garon's eyes flickered faintly before he continued asking in an indifferent tone.

"Besides that, were any other traces discovered near the tower?"

Unfortunately, the attendant could provide nothing useful.

"My lord, I was serving Maester Luwin in the Maester's Tower at the time. Someone later rushed over with the news, and Maester Luwin immediately sent me to inform Lord Stark."

Seeing there was nothing more to gain, Garon waved his hand dismissively.

"Very well. You may leave."

After the attendant departed, Garon slowly sat back down at the table within the camp. He picked up a goblet of wine, took a slow sip, and quietly began sorting through the situation in his mind.

"Bran fell from the tower…"

"But was Theon involved?"

"And if he was…"

"Is he still alive?"

The rich aroma of wine spread across his tongue as Garon leaned back slightly, his eyes narrowing in thought.

"If Theon died as well, then Winterfell will descend into complete chaos."

If Ned Stark's own son fell from a tower while his ward from the Iron Islands also disappeared or died under suspicious circumstances, then even Ned's naturally cautious temperament would not allow him to overlook it.

And once Balon Greyjoy demanded an explanation, both Ned and Robert would inevitably tear Winterfell apart searching for answers.

By then, Jaime and Cersei would suffer greatly even if they managed to avoid death.

More importantly, the incident would force Ned to become deeply suspicious of both the Lannisters and King's Landing long before the southern journey truly began.

Perhaps this time, Ned would not travel south with so few men as he did originally.

If that happened, then the lions would have to pay a far heavier price to devour the wolves.

"But if Theon is still alive," Garon murmured softly, "then there are only two possibilities."

"Either he never went to the Broken Tower or failed to encounter Jaime and Cersei altogether…"

"Or…"

"He reached some kind of agreement with Jaime."

The first possibility would merely return events to their original course.

But the second possibility…

A faint smile slowly appeared on Garon's lips.

"Now that would be interesting."

He gently placed the wine goblet back onto the table while his thoughts continued racing forward.

"Once I return to Winterfell, perhaps I should volunteer to investigate Bran's fall myself."

"If Theon truly became involved, then sooner or later he'll reveal a flaw."

Garon looked toward the distant silhouette of Winterfell, his smile deepening slightly.

"Soon."

"Very soon."

"The Iron Islands are already beginning to stir, and that chaos will become my opportunity."

"Balon Greyjoy is old, Asha's weaknesses are obvious, and Theon is nothing more than wasted iron."

"Only Euron is truly dangerous."

Especially because Euron possessed Dragonbinder.

Thinking of that terrifying horn, Garon's expression gradually turned serious.

Although Dragonbinder carried enormous drawbacks, its rumored ability to control dragons was enough to make anyone overlook its dangers entirely.

That horn was one of the greatest variables in the future war for Westeros.

It was also one of the few tools capable of threatening Daenerys Targaryen and her dragons.

"What a pity…"

"I arrived in this world too late."

"Jorah Mormont has already fled Westeros."

"If I could have reached Daenerys through him, many future plans would become far easier."

Garon sighed softly before his eyes once again filled with anticipation.

"But it doesn't matter."

"As long as I gain control over the Iron Islands, Deepwood Motte will rise completely."

"For now…"

"All I need is patience."

At that very moment, Jon Snow finally returned to camp after accompanying the Baratheon knights transporting the giant bear.

The moment Jon entered the camp, he immediately rushed toward Garon with obvious anxiety written across his face.

Clearly, he had already learned about Bran.

"Garon!"

Before he even reached him, Jon called out loudly.

"Did something happen to Bran?"

Garon immediately stood up to meet him.

"Yes," he replied gravely. "A messenger just arrived from Winterfell. Bran fell from one of the towers, and his condition is still unknown."

"Lord Stark already returned…"

But before Garon could finish speaking, Jon abruptly turned around and started walking away.

Garon quickly grabbed his arm.

"Where are you going?"

Jon shook him off impatiently.

"I'm going back to Winterfell!"

"I need to see Bran!"

But Garon did not move aside.

Instead, he calmly shook his head.

"Jon, calm yourself. Even if you return now, you won't be allowed near Bran."

"Maester Luwin will be treating him, and Lady Catelyn will refuse to leave his side."

"You won't even make it past the door."

Jon instantly froze.

Because he knew Garon was right.

Lady Catelyn had never accepted him.

If he appeared now while Bran hovered between life and death, it would only worsen her resentment toward him.

Yet Bran was like a younger brother to Jon.

How could he simply remain here doing nothing?

"Garon," Jon said hoarsely, "am I supposed to just sit here and wait?"

"I…"

"When I think about Bran…"

His voice faltered with emotion.

The fear of hearing Bran's death upon returning to Winterfell was slowly consuming him.

Knowing Jon's nature well, Garon stepped closer and spoke reassuringly.

"Bran is strong."

"And the old gods watch over him."

"He will survive."

But Jon's face still remained filled with grief and anxiety.

Seeing this, Garon realized ordinary comfort would not calm him.

So he quickly changed tactics.

"Jon, Robb is still deep within Wolfswood hunting. He knows nothing about Bran yet."

"My body hasn't fully recovered from fighting the giant bear, so I can't personally search for him."

"You take several men and find Robb immediately."

"Tell him what happened and bring him back as quickly as possible."

Jon hesitated briefly before finally nodding.

Without another word, he turned and hurried away to gather several Winterfell guards before riding into Wolfswood.

Garon watched Jon depart and quietly sighed inwardly.

"If Jon reacted this strongly, then Robb will probably be even worse once he hears the news."

"And I'll need to calm him down somehow."

Robert Baratheon still remained at the hunting camp.

If the Stark family abandoned the King one after another, rumors would inevitably spread that House Stark had slighted the crown.

Ned's departure could be excused because Robert trusted him completely.

But if Robb also abandoned the hunt immediately afterward, the situation would become difficult to explain.

Now that Garon's interests were already tied closely to House Stark, he knew he absolutely had to keep Robb steady no matter what.