CHAPTER 168

291 AC

POV MC

"My lord, you know as well as I do that I didn't come here for that," I replied coldly.

Lord Stark let out a heavy sigh and said, "She is your Lady."

"She tried to kill my familiar," I retorted.

"But she doesn't know who you are! That's why she did that. It's not her fault," he argued.

I responded coldly, "That's not an excuse. She tried to kill my familiar, and she needs to learn a lesson. If I don't do something about it, she'll continue to act this way."

"You can't hurt her; I will not allow it!" Lord Stark declared.

"I'm not going to hurt my best friend's mother, even though she fully deserves it. I am going to punish her differently," I stated firmly.

"Sith didn't even get hurt," he pointed out.

"She's alive not because Lady Stark showed mercy. She is alive because she is stro

I tried to draw a parallel for him, saying, "What if I were to try and kill Rickon but failed? Would you just forgive me?"

"That's not the same, and you know it," he responded.

With a raging voice, I said,

"No, it is! That's what you don't understand, my lord," I continued. "I've told you before they can talk and think like humans. They're not just stupid animals! To me, they're like my children and my friends. They're my family, and she tried to kill one of them just to anger me, and she succeeded. She made her bed, and now she will lie in it."

Lord Stark realized he wouldn't be able to dissuade me, especially now that he knew I wouldn't harm her physically. He gave in, weariness evident in his voice as he asked, "What are you going to do?"

"The same thing we did with the boys," I replied with determination. "She's acting like a child, so I'm going to treat her like one. I'm going to give her a terrorizing lesson. She is most likely going to have a profound fear of spiders from now on, and she might have night terrors for a few months."

...

After I told Lord Stark what I intended to do, I entered their room. Lady Stark was engrossed in her needlework and mistook me for Lord Stark.

"Are you going to keep that monster inside our walls?" she inquired.

"My lady, are you referring to me or Sith?" I replied calmly.

She jumped up in a panic and cried out, "How dare you enter this room! Guards! GUARDS!" She continued shouting, even though this part of the castle was deserted; Lord Stark had made sure of it to prevent any witnesses or eavesdroppers.

"My Lady, please cease your shouting and take a seat. We have matters to discuss, and no one will come, no matter how loudly you scream. Let us converse like civilized individuals," I urged.

"Civilized people? What could a peasant like you possibly know about civility?"

Despite her insults, she finally sat down before me. I said with a cold tone,

"I have endured enough of your haughty behavior. We are not in the South. I thought I taught you a lesson last time, but it seems you are a slow learner. In the North, lords do not feel threatened by competent men. In the North, we do not despise our bastard children. In the North, the Old Gods hold sway, while The Seven kneel at our feet."

My last remark infuriated her to the point that she splashed the wine she held toward me.

"How dare you utter the Seven's name with your low-born tongue!" she seethed.

"I can utter it as I see fit, for they hold no power, just as the Old Gods hold no sway below the Neck. Just as your Southern brethren insult our gods and our people, I can do the same here."

"Before I became a noble, you might have had the power to end my life. But that power vanished the moment I became the hero of the North and earned my nobility," I continued.

She rose and made an attempt to leave the room. I used a hint of mana to command, "Sit down, woman! Just because I addressed you as 'My lady,' did you mistakenly believe you hold dominion over me?"

"You... You cannot speak to me in such a manner! I am the Lady of Winterfell, your mistress, and you are bound to serve me."

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"No, I am not, for I serve a higher authority. The only reason you are still breathing is because you are my best friend's mother, and I care for your other children. I do not wish to see them grieve."

"I... I will see you beheaded for this!"

"Woman, you will see nothing of the sort! Why do you think this part of the castle is devoid of people? Because I have given my word to Lord Stark that I will not kill you, and he has cleared this area. However, this pledge only holds for today. What occurs after today is entirely contingent on your actions."

............

I sighed heavily, weariness clinging to my words as I pressed on, "Your perception of your authority seems clouded by a profound delusion. Let me shed some clarity on the matter: you hold no power – that's the stark reality. But allow me to expound upon why this is the case. Your influence derives solely from your husband and your father. When soldiers and lords obey your commands, it's not out of respect for you. In the North, they pay homage to the man whom you spread your legs to. It may sound offensive, but such is the reality of this world. Women are viewed as little more than broodmares, traded to forge political alliances. Your ohh, so noble father sold you and your sister so he could become the paramount of the Riverlands. You were the lucky one that got sold to a young and dashing man, but your sister pulled the short stick and got sold to a man older than her own father."

Catelyn seethed with anger but remained silent, seemingly paralyzed by the presence of mana and her own anger.

"Do I condone this? No, but it is the reality we face. Now, let's discuss your authority and why it holds no sway over me. If a man does not fear your husband and your father, your words are as meaningless as farts. To me, every time you bark orders, there is no difference between you farting or talking."

I attempted to convey a semblance of regret and added, "Please, do not misunderstand; I am not naturally crude or foul-mouthed. I am deliberately using offensive language to underscore the absence of respect or affection I hold for you."

Through gritted teeth, she retorted in a shrill voice, "You will pay dearly for these insults!"

This woman still fails to grasp the situation. Must I harm her for her stubbornness to wane? I sighed deeply and uttered, "It appears you still do not comprehend. When I said, you continue to live only because I permit it, Imu!"

Bringing my two palms together, I extended them toward Catelyn. Imu, the white serpent adorned with mesmerizing, luminous green eyes, moved with a graceful, almost ethereal fluidity. Its sinuous form slithered methodically from my sleeve, its scales glistening with an otherworldly, icy sheen, and it coiled itself within my cupped hands. The very air around us seemed to grow colder in the presence of the icicle snake, and its eyes held a haunting, almost hypnotic allure, as if they were windows to an other worldly place.

"Do you recognize this creature?"

Upon seeing the snake, her anger began to give way to fear.

"It's an icicle snake."

"Correct! What is your knowledge of wargs?"

"It's merely a feeble Wildling mummery."

"Just because you insult something doesn't change its power. I have control over animals. While you are riding your horse, I could drop you off it and trample you, or Imu can bite you in your sleep while you lay in your bed defenselessly."

As I spoke, Imu parted its jaws and acted like he was lunging toward Catelyn, who let out a terrified scream.

"Just because I am not going to kill you today doesn't mean I am not going to do it on the morrow. You tried to kill my bond. To a warg, that's the same as you trying to kill my children."

"Everyone here knows you have an Icicle snake. They will suspect you."

"Oh, you are right. That is why I would kill you with this."

I pulled a small black spider with yellow spots from my jacket; it was a spotted spider, known to be venomous and found from the North all the way to Dorne.

"I heard the bite is so painful; those who got bitten would beg for death."

I began to play with the spider in my left hand, while Imu remained coiled around my right arm.

"Or should I use the most common snake, a black adder? No, I want your death to be painful, so I will use a yellow-spotted spider."

As the spider walked across my palm, I said, "Bite!"

The spider sank its fangs into my hand, and Catelyn's eyes widened to the point where they almost seemed ready to fall from their sockets.

"Oh, it really hurts a bit, but don't worry, I have poison immunity. That is one of the blessings bestowed on me by the Old Gods; an animal or a plant cannot poison me. Now I've decided how I'm going to kill you. All I have to do is wait for your next stupid action. Perhaps it will happen while you're asleep, or maybe it will occur while you're sitting on the balcony."

I rose from my crouched position and gently placed the spider onto the window sill. After a few seconds, the spider disappeared from sight.

As I was comin back I muttered,

"Glome Agri (spore field)"

Colorless spores are released into the air around us. I returned to Catelyn and held her trembling hands. She was still petrified with fear, especially with Imu coiled around my arm.

"I truly don't want to harm you, but if you conspire against me one more time, things will change. To me, your life means nothing; you are a worthless liability. I am sparing your life for today only, but I promise there will not be a second time. If you act worthy of the Lady of Winterfell, even though I have no respect for you, I will treat you with the semblance of respect. However, you must understand this, deeply: We are not in the South, so cease acting as if we are. Furthermore, I do not work for you or your craven gods."

I tightened my grip on her hand just enough to make her wince, and I continued, "But I cannot leave you with only a reprimand. Can you see the spotted spiders crawling from my arms to your arms? There are tens of them."

As the words left my mouth, the spell I had prepared earlier was triggered, and Lady Stark's face contorted in terror. Her vision was filled with the illusion of countless venomous spiders, their eerie legs skittering all over her body. I squeezed her hands even harder and forced her to focus on me.

"If you move, they are going to bite you. So, stay completely still."

With my command, she froze in place like a statue, her breath held, her eyes darting frantically around as if she could see the spiders everywhere. I leaned in closer and warned her,

"If you even flinch, they will all bite you. But if you stay perfectly still until Lord Stark returns, they will vanish without a trace. Now, I am going to release your hands. Do not move."

Carefully, I let go of her trembling hands and left her standing there in the room, rigid and paralyzed by fear, haunted by the imaginary spiders that seemed all too real to her.