"Yes, of course. He did tell me he would be visiting today," Ned answered instantly, though a slight confusion lingered as to why Aaric was sending formal letters ahead of time.

"You see, he did not wish to startle you, as he may just... appear," Ra explained, and a voice spoke from right behind them at that very moment.

"You have a beautiful home, Lord Stark," Aaric spoke from beside the window, his hands resting casually behind his back and a small smile playing on his face.

Robb, Jon, and Theon immediately placed their hands on the weapons at their hips, but they were swiftly stopped by a firm, staying gesture from Ned Stark.

Aaric nodded in approval.

He had sent the letter precisely because he wanted to avoid exactly that kind of reaction, people pointing swords at him, followed by tedious explanations, only for them to remain stiffly on their guard afterward.

Aaric was not bored enough to find amusement in unnecessary drama.

"Aaric!" Arya exclaimed before running straight up to him and giving him a brief, enthusiastic hug.

"Oh! You almost knocked me right off my feet, little wolf," Aaric said playfully as he gently ruffled the girl’s hair before turning his head toward Ra, raising his hand in a subtle gesture to stop the custodian from bowing to him.

"I will explain everything to you later," Ned assured the three tense boys before turning his full attention back to Aaric.

"Please, have a seat, Prince." The Warden of the North offered a chair, and the young prince accepted it with a graceful nod.

"It is good to see you have recovered so well," Aaric said, glancing down at Ned’s healing leg before turning his gaze to give Sansa and Jeyne a glance.

Their deepest scars were entirely psychological, so he chose not to comment on them out loud and simply gave the girls a reassuring smile.

"I have, Prince Aaric. It is all truly because of Ra here," Ned said with a polite nod and a respectful gesture toward the towering custodian.

"Although, I must honestly confess I feel as if I were a mere frog living at the bottom of a well my entire life," Ned added with a self-deprecating smile.

"Could I perhaps ask you some questions about the incredible things I have witnessed over the last two days?" The Lord of Winterfell asked somewhat reluctantly, and he received an immediate nod of permission from Aaric.

Ned’s questions mostly boiled down to the absolute basics, like how could a massive flying ship even exist in the skies, and how could Aaric just appear anywhere he wanted in a flicker.

He asked about the other various magical feats Aaric and Ra had casually performed around him.

Aaric listened to Ned’s rapid queries patiently, gently caressing Chaya’s head with his finger as he answered.

In the end, the core of his answers boiled down to one simple, undeniable fact, magic exists, so deal with it.

He was not quite that crude in his phrasing, but the gist of his explanation remained exactly the same.

Ned understood the fact as well and stopped asking after receiving the same answer in different words multiple times.

As the conversation went on, a deep grimace started forming on Catelyn’s face, as if she was holding herself back from speaking her mind. However, that internal control did not last very long.

"Magic is inherently unnatural and deceptive, my Lord. It is absolutely not to be trusted," she interjected sharply, voicing the rigid beliefs she had been taught since her birth in the South.

Her statement was intended more for Ned than Aaric, as she was not-so-subtly suggesting that the Lord of Winterfell should remain extremely wary of this foreign prince. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"I highly suggest you start by looking at your own house then, my Lady. Wolves are not mere beasts that children can easily tame, let alone direwolves," Aaric countered smoothly, though there was absolutely no hostility or bite in his calm tone.

Lady Stark stuttered for a moment, completely caught off guard. She quickly shut her mouth and turned her gaze from Grey Wind toward Robb in silent, sudden contemplation.

"Are you suggesting there is actual magic running through Stark blood?" Ned asked. He had quietly thought so himself over the years and was merely looking for a direct confirmation.

"Yes. And a remarkably powerful magic at that," Aaric nodded firmly.

He glanced to the side and noticed that the sudden talk of direwolves seemed to have turned Sansa and Arya’s fragile moods for the worse.

Their gazes had turned toward the stone floor in deep sadness.

It was entirely understandable, since Sansa’s wolf had been killed unjustly, while Arya had been forced to drive her own wolf away into the wild just to save the animal’s life.

"I do have a formal request, Lord Stark," Aaric stated, bringing a clean end to the questioning as Ned inclined his head to signal for him to continue.

"My wives and I will be exploring the vast lands of the North for some time, and I would greatly appreciate your official blessing in doing so." He stated the request bluntly.

Aaric was a foreign prince and much preferred not to stir up any unnecessary political drama in a foreign nation just for the sake of a simple exploration.

Again, he was not bored enough to go around actively seeking fights just so he could face-slap local lords for his own ego.

"You are most welcome in the North, Prince Aaric. House Stark formally offers you our full hospitality for as long as you choose to stay in our domain," Eddard Stark answered solemnly, before immediately ordering a nearby guard to bring them traditional salt and bread to seal the guest right.

"Wives?" Catelyn inquired sharply from beside her husband, her eyes widening slightly as she looked at Aaric, who simply answered her with a calm nod.

She would have certainly spoken more on the matter if Ned had not instantly given her a sharp, warning look to keep her silent.

A/n: Short Chapter today. I’ll be doing a time skip in the next Chapter. And I have been writing another fanfic starting in the Solo-leveling world, I have written two Chapter of the fic. I’ll be uploading it when I stack up some Chapters. And I will try and complete this one fast.