Game of Thrones: Joffrey the Chosen

Time flies, and the day to leave has come in the blink of an eye.

The cold winds of the North seemed even more biting than when we arrived.

But the king was a restless man.

Especially in Winterfell, a place filled with nothing but rocks and trees, the restlessness in his bones could no longer be suppressed.

So on his last day here, he had to make a fuss.

"Xiao Qiao, let's go!"

At dawn, a large hand slammed down on Joffrey's back.

Robert, dressed in hunting attire, had a childlike excitement in his eyes: "It's time for a man of House Baratheon to hunt his first boar."

But Joffrey staggered forward two steps, clutching his stomach, his face pale.

"Father..." His voice was very weak, "I may have eaten something bad last night, my stomach hurts terribly."

"I'm afraid I won't be able to go today."

Robert looked him over suspiciously.

"Is it real pain or fake pain?"

"It really hurts."

"Alright, alright, then you can rest now." He snorted and turned to wave at the waiting crowd.

"Ned, let's go! Let these pampered brats stay inside and drink their hot soup!"

The sounds of horses' hooves and dogs' barking immediately blended together.

Almost all the male nobles in the city went along, after all, this was a good opportunity to show their bravery in front of the king.

No normal person would want to miss it.

Even Tyrion sat in his specially modified saddle, mounted the mare his brother had given him, and excitedly joined in the fun.

Joffrey stood on the stone steps at the entrance of the main castle, silently watching the large group of people leave the courtyard.

"Hey kid, don't try to steal her from me!"

The voice had been echoing in his mind lately.

It was clearly the Three-Eyed Raven who spoke to him specifically through the Heart Tree.

This power comes from a powerful wizard whose lifespan has surpassed that of humans, who has merged with a weirwood tree from beyond the Great Wall.

Legend has it that he has a thousand and one eyes, which allow him to observe the past and the future.

Fortunately, this person's name is Brinden.

It wasn't Brandon, nor was it some blue bird with two heads.

The withered leaves swirled around my feet.

Bran Stark is destined to become the Green Prophet and embarks on a journey to find the Three-Eyed Raven.

Besides, this kid beat his brother Tomman so badly during the competition at the training ground.

They even stabbed the person to the ground.

So Joffrey originally didn't intend to get involved in this matter, as long as it didn't involve the Lannisters.

But that warning changed his mind.

"Kid, don't try to steal her from me."

Joffrey slowly clenched his fist.

Okay, okay.

You old cripple who lives in the roots of a tree.

Thousands of miles away, they're using a tree to threaten me?

They won't let us steal it.

But he still insisted on giving it a try.

Once you lure someone to King's Landing, you're definitely in for a world of trouble.

Joffrey turned and walked into the main castle.

With a large number of people missing, Winterfell seemed unusually empty. Even Robb assumed Joffrey was going and set off with the hunting party.

He found Bran in the west corridor.

The boy was squatting on the ground, intently directing the direwolf to retrieve the thrown branches.

"Go quickly," Bran urged.

But the little wolf had no interest in the matter.

Hearing Joffrey's footsteps, its ear tips twitched twice, it glanced back, and then lazily lay back down on the ground.

"Where shall we go today?" Joffrey patted Bran on the shoulder.

Bran looked up, a bright smile spreading across his dirty little face.

"Let's go to the clock tower!" he jumped up. "I know a secret passage that leads directly to the second floor of the crow's nest."

Joffrey shook his head, seemingly with some concern.

"Wouldn't that be too dangerous?"

"No problem, I've been there several times already," Bran said confidently, patting his chest.

"Just don't tell my mother."

Ever since that encounter in the Godswood, Joffrey has been approaching Bran from time to time, asking him to be his guide and show him around Winterfell.

This made Bran very happy, since his two older brothers had long been unwilling to go on adventures with him.

In this respect, Bran is indeed much more professional.

This child is like a squirrel, climbing up and down all day long, knowing all the hidden corners and secret passages in the castle.

He knew every nook and cranny that even Duke Ed might not be familiar with.

On the other hand...

If Joffrey could directly monitor the person in question, it would certainly be more convenient than any other arrangement.

So he stayed close to Bran all day long.

They went to the kitchen and, while the cook, Guy, wasn't looking, stole two loaves of bread that had been smeared with honey. They hid in the pantry and ate them with gusto, their mouths dripping with oil.

They went to the stable, found the stableman Hood the Fool, asked for an apple, fed it to Bran's pony, and whispered goodbye.

They also went to the blacksmith's shop to find Miken, and to the Bachelor's Tower to find Ruwen.

They also visited the elderly nanny who was sleeping in her warm little room.

After saying goodbye to everyone, Bran seemed somewhat lost and dejected.

"Will I be able to come back in the future?" His voice carried a childlike unease.

Joffrey looked at him and answered confidently.

"sure."

Of course not.

"You can come back anytime you miss your mother, or if you get tired of living in the Red Castle."

You will not be allowed to leave King's Landing until the White Walkers are eliminated.

Joffrey gently rubbed the little head with its chestnut-red hair.

"Let's go, there's still one place we haven't visited."

They entered the first fortress.

This is a low, round fortress built in the oldest era of Winterfell, now inhabited only by rats and spiders.

The corridor was long and winding with few windows, making it very dark even during the day.

This is why it has become an excellent place for adventure.

The two men made their way from the second floor to the third floor.

Then we went from the third floor to the fourth floor.

At this moment, the little direwolf suddenly let out a low whimper.

Joffrey immediately looked up.

A figure was standing at the corner of the corridor in the distance.

The morning light slanted in through the high window, outlining a golden silhouette on it.

"What are you doing here!"

Joffrey smirked and shouted.

Jaime Lannister, dressed in a red shirt, was sneaking around peeking inside.

Upon hearing the noise, he shuddered, then quickly turned around and reached for the hilt of the sword at his waist.

But when he saw it was Joffrey, he relaxed and strode closer.

"Then let me ask you."

"What are you doing here?" he asked, a sharp, razor-sharp smile on his face.

"We're here to explore!" Bran jumped out from behind the wall, answering eagerly.

James clearly hadn't expected anyone else to be there, and his expression froze for a moment.

"I...I'm here to explore too," he stammered clumsily.

But for Bran, that was enough.

A look of longing shone in the boy's eyes.

He had always wanted to be a knight and knew the story of the Kingsguard by heart.

However, the two guards who came with Robert this time were Ser Beloth, a bald man with a double chin, and Ser Marin, whose beard was as hard as rust.

They don't all look very serious.

Only Jaime, "The Lion of Lannisters," tall and handsome with blond hair and blue eyes, most closely resembled those legends, at least in appearance.

Although he is better known by his nickname "King Killer".

Robert led the call for two years, and it quickly spread throughout the Seven Kingdoms.

Now that he had identified a possible mastermind, Joffrey took the opportunity to strike up a conversation with him.

He deliberately rambled on, asking about some of Bran's favorite knightly stories.

People like "Mirror Shield" Savin, Ryan Redwin, or even twin brothers who died by each other's swords hundreds of years ago...

The tyrant was clearly agitated.

He answered absentmindedly, his gaze frequently drifting towards the depths of the corridor or towards the staircase.

His gaze toward Joffrey was filled with incomprehension, and even a hint of impatience.

"How long are you going to stay here?" Finally, he interrupted with a question about the Mad King.

Joffrey smiled and said, "It's the last day, let's at least see everything here."

The tyrant's lips twitched.

Then he shrugged: "You guys take your time, I just remembered I have something to do."

After saying that, he turned and walked to the other end of the corridor.

Their pace was rapid, almost as if they were fleeing.

"But that's not the way down!" Bran shouted from behind him.