As the night descended upon the castle of Winterfell, the feast organised in the honour of Lord Aeos started. The environment inside the castle became festive and celebratory.
Barrels of ale were opened at the expense of House Stark. Meat and other items of food were being gobbled up like anything. And if this was not enough, Jon Snow instructed his men to open several barrels of vodka, wine, and his other drinks. The anxiety about the deserter of the Night's Watch and the presence of a direwolf in the castle was soon forgotten.
Even Ned, Catelyn, and people like Ser Rodrik Cassel, who had been worried about the behaviour of the Dothraki at the feast, were relieved when they saw them on their best behaviour. A few of them remained in the main hall for a few minutes before most of the Dothraki assembled in the training yard of Winterfell under the open sky, enjoying themselves. They were content enjoying themselves.
Ned, Catelyn, Jon, and Robb were seated at the high table in the main hall of Winterfell.
And though Catelyn knew that logically and rationally Jon, as Lord Aeos, fully deserved to get a seat at the high table, she was not able to remove the slight sense of discomfort from her heart. She very well remembered, before Jon had fled Winterfell, how on every celebratory occasion she had made sure, one way or another, that Jon was seated as far back in the hall as possible. And here he was, sitting at the same table as her. This was not something that could comfort her.
The rest of the children, Sansa, Arya, Bran and Rickon were seated in the front row. Theon Greyjoy, along with others like Rodrik Cassel, Jory Cassel and Maester Luwin, were seated in the second row. Melisandre, General Slyvia, her assistant Jelerion and Grey Worm are also seated in the second row.
"I hope you are liking it here, Jon," Ned remarked, leaning towards him. "This feast might not be on the scale that you might be used to enjoying."
"Winter is coming," he added. "And what I can spend on a feast is limited. Not to mention that I will have to bear another expense when the king comes to Winterfell."
"I know, Lord Stark," Jon replied. "And while it is true that I am used to a different breed of feast, this Northern feast is special. Unique and curious."
"I am really liking it here," he remarked.
Ned smiled in return. The night deepened and the feast continued. It was reaching its pinnacle when Jon got up from his seat. He looked towards his men and nodded. They nodded back in response, and a few of them stepped out of the hall. Jon descended from the raised platform and stood just in front of the high table in the centre of the room. Meanwhile, his men returned, carrying four wooden boxes in tow.
"I have come here from Essos," he said, his voice echoing in the hall. "And I have brought some humble gifts for all of you."
As Jon said this, the eyes of most spectators gleamed with an undisguised curiosity. Jon Snow, or rather Lord Aeos, was a man known for his immense wealth. He was king of multiple large cities in Essos. And they could not help but wonder what kind of gift such a man would have brought.
The eyes of Rickon, Bran, and Arya sparkled with happiness. They had been impatient for their gifts since the morning. Even the expressionless Sansa showed a sparkle of curiosity in her eyes and on her face. Jon turned and approached the youngest of the Starks, Rickon Stark.
"Rickon," he said.
"Jon," Rickon responded in his childish voice.
Jon chuckled before continuing.
"You know," he said, "selecting a gift for you was not an easy task. I wanted something of great significance, but at the same time, something that you would like very much."
"And I was not able to come to a decision," he said. "Therefore, I picked up two gifts for you."
Rickon's eyes sparkled even further. Jon nodded towards his men, and one of them unbolted one of the boxes. He bent down and took an object out of it.
It was a figurine of a human riding on a horse. It was holding a sword in its right hand. The figurine was carved from a blackish stone. As one would have expected of a sophisticated gift from the legendary Lord Aeos, the figurine was shining and almost polished. Rickon's eyes glistened in delight as he looked at the figurine.
"It is a figurine carved by one of the finest craftsmen in all of Essos," Jon said, placing the figurine on the table in front of Rickon.
Rickon took the figurine in his hands, admiring it unabashedly.
"But it is nothing more than a toy," Jon continued.
The man bent down and pulled out another object from the chest. It was a small wooden box. Jon opened the box, revealing its contents. And as soon as the box was opened, a wave of gasps echoed in the hall.
Placed inside the box was a bright red stone. The stone, from the top view, was a perfect pentagram in shape. It was beautiful. Immensely so.
"This is a Pentacrystal," Jon said. "In the depths of the Dothraki sea, there exists a very rare animal. The animal is so rare that it is believed that not more than five exist at one time in the entire Dothraki sea."
"That very animal has this Pentacrystal on its forehead," he continued. "You can call this crystal its horn."
"In the Dothraki culture, the stone is an omen, a sign of good fortune," he said. "And I hope this stone brings good fortune for our little Rickon."
Everyone was staring at the stone in unfazed awe. Even if they had not known the story behind the crystal, they would have known that it was immensely valuable. But now that they had learned the story, they knew that it was more valuable than they could have imagined. And they could not help but wonder what was Jon going to give the remaining Starks.
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