CHAPTER 147
A snowstorm swept across the heavens, and all Bran could see was a boundless white wilderness.
He had become a raven, soaring above an endless frozen landscape.
It felt as though he was the only living creature left in the world.
Yet within that pale silence of death, a deep blue stain spread across the snow like a festering wound.
By the time Bran realized something was wrong, countless icy blue eyes, cold as winter stars, surrounded him from every direction.
"Ah..."
Bran cried out, and his vision instantly plunged into darkness.
When the light returned, a gigantic weirwood stood before him, its white trunk as pale as old bone.
Within its twisted roots and branches sat a bent old man whose body had become intertwined with the ancient tree itself, as though man and weirwood had become one.
Bran could see little of him except those strange eyes, ancient and sharp like those carved upon the faces of the Children of the Forest, while an old yet powerful voice echoed through the dream.
"Come..."
"Bran Stark..."
"Come north..."
"Find me..."
"Before the Long Night falls..."
The next instant, Bran jolted awake.
His entire body was soaked in cold sweat, and his heart pounded violently inside his frail chest.
Outside the window, dawn had only begun to paint the sky a pale gray above Winterfell.
An unnatural silence filled the castle.
Summer immediately raised his head from beside Bran's bed before leaping onto the blankets, letting out an anxious whine.
The direwolf's golden eyes searched every corner of the room vigilantly, as though he too could sense the lingering malice left behind by the dream.
Bran gently stroked Summer's thick fur, whether to comfort the wolf or himself, even he did not know.
"It's alright..."
"It was only a dream..."
Yet his heart remained heavy.
This was no ordinary nightmare.
Ever since Jojen and Meera Reed had arrived at Winterfell, these dreams had become increasingly frequent and vivid.
The call of the Three-Eyed Raven carried an irresistible sense of destiny that haunted him day and night.
He could wait no longer.
That morning, inside Winterfell's Great Hall, the roaring fire chased away much of the northern chill.
Sansa was handling Winterfell's daily affairs with Maester Luwin assisting beside her.
Jon Snow was also present, reporting on the castle's defenses.
Hodor carefully carried Bran into the hall and gently lowered him into a chair covered with thick furs.
Behind Bran stood Meera and Jojen Reed, quietly waiting.
After a long silence, Bran finally spoke.
"Sansa... Maester Luwin... Jon..."
His youthful voice remained gentle, yet his tone was firmer than any of them had ever heard.
"I have to leave Winterfell."
The entire hall immediately fell silent.
Sansa's quill stopped moving.
She looked up in confusion.
"Bran..."
"What did you just say?"
"Do you simply want to ride outside the castle for a while?"
Bran slowly shook his head.
Meeting all of their gazes, he answered solemnly.
"I mean..."
"I'm going north."
"Beyond the Wall."
"What?!"
Jon's voice rose immediately.
His gray eyes widened with disbelief.
"Bran, do you even understand what you're saying?"
"Your legs..."
"And even if you could walk, Beyond the Wall belongs to the wildlings."
"You're not a ranger of the Night's Watch."
"What could possibly be waiting for you there?"
A trace of concern appeared in Maester Luwin's aged eyes.
He had already noticed Bran's unusual behavior these past weeks.
Especially after the arrival of House Reed.
The three of them often gathered secretly beneath Winterfell's heart tree, discussing matters unknown to everyone else.
Bran had also become increasingly drowsy, often sleeping through important matters.
The old maester finally turned his eyes toward Jojen and Meera.
"What exactly have you two been telling Bran?"
"Ever since you arrived at Winterfell, he has become more secretive."
"And his strange sleeping fits have only grown worse."
His questioning startled both Sansa and Jon.
Before either of them could speak, Bran calmly answered in the Reeds' place.
"This has nothing to do with them."
"I have only confirmed my destiny."
"Destiny?"
Maester Luwin frowned.
"Bran..."
"I know you've become fascinated by stories of the Three-Eyed Raven."
"I know you enjoy the old tales."
"But stories remain stories..."
Seeing that Maester Luwin was about to continue lecturing him, Bran quietly drew a deep breath.
He understood that words alone would never convince them.
Turning toward Hodor, he spoke softly.
"Hodor."
"I need to borrow your body."
Hodor simply nodded with his usual innocent expression.
"Hodor."
The others exchanged puzzled looks.
The next moment, an invisible ripple swept across the Great Hall.
Bran's head suddenly drooped.
His body went completely limp.
"Bran!"
Jon instinctively rushed forward.
But before he could reach him, a familiar voice sounded from the side.
"Jon."
"I'm over here."
Jon froze.
He slowly turned toward Hodor.
His face became completely stunned.
"Hodor..."
"You..."
"You..."
Sansa abruptly rose from her chair.
Her beautiful face was filled with disbelief.
Even Maester Luwin, whose studies had included the higher mysteries, stood speechless.
"How..."
"How is this possible?"
Sansa finally managed to ask in a trembling voice.
Hodor looked at them calmly.
"The Three-Eyed Raven taught me."
"I was born with greensight."
"And with the gift to become a greenseer."
"Ever since I fell from that tower, the Three-Eyed Raven has visited me in my dreams."
Only then did Sansa, Jon, and Maester Luwin finally understand why Bran had been falling asleep so often.
Yet an even greater mystery now confronted them.
Sansa asked anxiously,
"Why would the Three-Eyed Raven choose... you?"
"And..."
"Can he heal your legs?"
Hodor slowly shook his head.
"Because I am a Stark."
"Because this is my destiny."
"As for my legs..."
"I don't know."
"But at least..."
"I will learn to fly."
Jon blinked in confusion.
"Fly?"
At that moment, Bran's consciousness returned to his own body.
His eyes slowly opened.
He calmly answered.
"Yes."
"I'll fly like a bird."
"That's why I must go Beyond the Wall."
"I have to find the Three-Eyed Raven."
Meanwhile, Hodor had regained himself.
He rubbed his head in confusion.
"Hodor..."
Sansa paid him no attention.
She hurried to Bran's side, tears already filling her eyes.
"Bran..."
"Please don't go Beyond the Wall."
"It's far too dangerous."
"You're my brother."
"I've already lost Father."
"Arya is gone."
"Rickon is still on Dragonstone."
"I cannot lose you too."
"If Mother..."
"If Robb..."
"They would never agree."
"I can't let you throw yourself into such danger."
Jon stepped forward beside her.
His expression was equally determined.
"I don't agree either."
"Whether you're destined to become the Three-Eyed Raven or not..."
"I won't allow you to leave Winterfell."
Warmth filled Bran's heart.
He smiled faintly.
"No one else can take my place."
"I have to go."
He slowly looked at each of them.
His voice carried conviction far beyond his years.
"Winter is coming."
"House Stark must be prepared."
"I must find the Three-Eyed Raven."
"Only then can the North..."
"And perhaps all the world..."
"Find hope when the Long Night returns."
His calm determination left no room for argument.
Maester Luwin sighed deeply.
The old scholar's eyes were filled with complicated emotions.
He had studied enough ancient histories to know that not every legend was false.
He also understood more about the Three-Eyed Raven than he had ever revealed.
"So..."
"The old tales truly contain truth after all."
"If this really is destiny's will..."
He stopped speaking.
Yet everyone understood that his opposition had weakened.
Bran smiled softly before turning toward Sansa once more.
Sansa slowly collapsed back into her chair.
Tears silently rolled down her cheeks.
She finally realized that she could not stop him.
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to make the painful decision.
"Very well."
"I'll let you go."
"But you must take enough people to protect you."
She looked toward Jojen and Meera Reed.
"People of Greywater Watch..."
"I entrust Bran to your care."
The Reed siblings bowed their heads together.
"We swear it."
Sansa then turned toward Jon.
"Choose the bravest and most loyal men in Winterfell."
"They will escort Bran safely north."
Jon hesitated for a long moment.
Finally, he nodded.
"I understand."
With the matter settled, Bran smiled in relief.
Several days later, after making every necessary preparation, Bran Stark departed Winterfell with Hodor, Summer, and the Reed siblings, beginning his long journey Beyond the Wall in search of the Three-Eyed Raven.
At the very same time, far to the south, the fates of his brothers and sisters also continued to unfold beneath the gathering shadow of war.
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