the sun of winter

Life in the north was comforting and normal, and so that’s where Danais was, at least for the time being, but she was running out of coin. The woman owning the inn she was staying at had given her a discount because Danais would help control unruly men at the bar, but even so, her coin purse was running thin. She needed work, and she needed it soon.

Now was not the time to sit around and pray for an opportunity to fall into her lap. Now was the time for her to take initiative, and so she was. She traveled between Winterfell and the surrounding cities to look for someone to serve, and that was how she ended up here. She stood in the street with her sword at her side and her usual makeup around her eyes. Her appearance made onlookers know not to mess with her, and that was exactly what she wanted. Putting off a threatening aura made people know she was a good mercenary, at least in that aspect. She was a woman, yes, but she was tough. She made that known from the get-go. 

“Excuse me,” she asked, trying to get the attention of someone walking by. “Do you know if anyone around here would be interested in hiring a sellsword?”

When they arrived at the village, Harrion stopped by the first shop he saw, with a pile of wooden animals on display. He’d find no carved suns here, but he did see a bear. Silently, he snorted and picked it out of the lot. It was poorly whittled, with its little mouth open just enough for one of Victaria’s fingers to fit. She wouldn’t even be able to hold the thing, let alone play with it. “How much for it?” he asked.

As they made their way forward, Harrion with a bear in his pocket, he was stopped by a woman with half her face coloured black. “Are you a sellsword, then?” he asked at her question, unable to help the degree of disbelief in his voice. 

The Karstarks of Karhold, descended from the First Men and the Starks of Winterfell from a time when the King in the North reigned, are some of the most important of the northern bannermen. Harrion grew up knowing this and even as he has gotten older his dedication to the family name and making sure the Karstarks have close ties to the Starks is incredibly important. Harrion is the firstborn child of Rickard Karstark. He has three younger siblings: Torrhen, Eddard, and Alys. All his life he knew that someday he would be the Lord of Karhold. He followed in his father’s footsteps and became a fierce warrior, but more than that Harrion was a leader. He was the leader whose ideas sparked his younger brother’s mischief throughout Karhold.

As he got older Rickard Karstark began looking for matches for his son. Rickard’s search for suitors for his heir continued for some time until the Winter Rebellions broke out. Then it became far more important to secure their place in the North than to worry about Harrion’s future. So when Alys convinced their father to marry her to Rickard Stark, Harrion was happy for her. She was his baby sister and he knew she had always wanted to be the Lady of Winterfell. Now she had that chance.

Unfortunately that moment of happiness brought by Alys’ marriage to Rickard Stark ended quickly when Roose Bolton rose against the Starks as the Wildlings began spilling into the South. Harrion led men against the Wildings to the North while his father led men south to defend Winterfell from the Bolton’s attempt to siege it. While Harrion succeed in helping the rest of the Northern forces push back the wildings, Rickard Karstark lost his life to the Bolton men threatening to overthrow the Starks. Just like that Harrion became the new Lord of Karhold. It was something he had prepared his whole life for and yet it left a bitter taste in his mouth now that the title was his.

As the rebellions were crushed and peace slowly returned to the land, Harrion has been acclimating to his new role. However, in the back of his mind he still constantly asks himself if things would have ended differently if his father had allowed him to ride south with the forces to hold back the Boltons. He could not help but wonder if he would have been able to prevent his father’s death. That thought has plagued him ever since word reached him. Now he knows he has a duty to his people and to his family, but Harrion cannot rid himself of the anger he feels towards the Boltons.

Soon after, Harrion began looking for a wife for himself as pressured by his advisors. He finally came to an agreement with Maege Mormont, and travelled to Bear Island where he married her fourth daughter, Jorelle. Harrion and Jorelle argued explosively until their marriage, and even after. She wasn’t the sort of wife he had expected, but she was his best choice.

Instead of getting the chance to settle back into Karhold with Jorelle, though, almost immediately after his marriage came the call to arms. The Wall was being flooded by white walkers, and all the houses were required to send men. Harrion, unwilling to send his younger brothers, travelled to the Wall himself. They were ultimately victorious, but Harrion himself faced a great loss: his right leg. His return to Karhold was disheartening, as he was not quite the man who left it.