NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1: Chapter 1 - Outsider
[Chapter Size: 1900 Words.]
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There are four continents in this world: Westeros, Essos, Sothoryos, and Ulthos.
Westeros is located in the westernmost part of the world. The long and narrow continent stretches from the polar ice cap in the north to the south, spanning about 3,000 miles.
In the far north, there is a towering and seemingly impenetrable Wall that spans 300 miles. It separates the lands of the Seven Kingdoms from the land of eternal winter beyond the Wall.
The vast southern territories are governed by a unified political entity, divided into nine interconnected but politically independent regions.
The continent of Westeros is divided into four main regions: North, West, East, and South. The king appoints a local vassal as the warden and administrator of each region. House Stark of Winterfell is responsible for the North; House Lannister of Casterly Rock governs the West; House Arryn of the Eyrie guards the East; and House Tyrell of Highgarden oversees the South.
The climate of Westeros is the most peculiar among the four continents. Summers can last over ten years, followed by long and harsh winters.
Additionally, there is the intense cold and death, accompanied by ancient and strange legends. However, most people in the Seven Kingdoms believe these are nothing more than myths.
The White Walkers are a mysterious race that inhabits the lands of eternal winter north of the Wall.
Rumor has it that the White Walkers invaded the continent of Westeros thousands of years ago. This desperate period became known in history as the "Long Night." Fortunately, under the leadership of the "Lightbringer" and with the help of the "Children of the Forest," humanity was able to force the White Walkers to retreat to the lands of eternal winter.
Later, to prevent another invasion, the glorious Night's Watch was created for this purpose. They became sharp swords and impenetrable shields, stationed at the Wall, guarding the line of defense against the cold every night.
But that happened so long ago that no one can distinguish truth from legend. The story turned into a widely spread horror tale, and the Night's Watch army was practically reduced to a place of exile for criminals.
However, Cornélia knew it was not just a legend but a real story.
The White Walkers would definitely return!
Cornélia, wearing a thin fabric skirt, was sitting near the window, looking at Winterfell shrouded in darkness. The city, bustling during the day, now seemed calm and peaceful under the moonlight and light snowfall. She rarely had the chance to appreciate the city's lively beauty during the day.
Still, she loved that place, loved the city where she had lived for ten years — the beautiful Winterfell.
When she came to Westeros, Cornélia was still in her mother's womb, Catelyn. As a baby about to be born, even before fully understanding the situation, she "arrived."
It took her a long time to understand the facts and accept the reality: this was a different world — the world of Game of Thrones.
When she was still a child, she discovered she lived in Winterfell. Ned Stark was her father, and her mother was Catelyn Tully. Worth mentioning, around her were the boys she was supposed to call brothers: Robb Stark and the bastard Jon Snow, who was also her brother.
Of course, there was also her twin sister, Sansa Stark, born on the same day as her. Although they were twins, Cornélia always stood out for her appearance, which was different from Sansa's, even in childhood, when physical differences are less pronounced. These differences, noticeable from an early age, became even more evident as they grew older.
Twins are typically categorized as fraternal or identical. Cornélia and Sansa are clearly fraternal twins. Sansa has auburn hair, prominent cheekbones, and bluish-gray eyes, obvious features of the Tully family.
On the other hand, Cornélia has dark hair, and for some reason, a small strand of her hair gradually turned silver. Under the moonlight, those silver strands seem to reveal a faint blue-silver glow. Her eyes are also dazzling blue, and her face, delicate and pale, resembles that of an elf from mythology. Her natural cold demeanor makes people subconsciously think of ice and snow.
Perhaps she is, indeed, the embodiment of ice and snow.
Cornélia was always different from ordinary people, not only because she was a strange visitor from another world but also because of her appearance and other special traits. However, the Stark family never treated her differently or with distrust. On the contrary, she received even more love from the family because of it.
The Starks' affection helped her more easily accept the fact that she had come to such a strange and dangerous world. In fact, that period was when her memories were sharpest.
Soon, Cornélia realized that something was clouding her memories. Perhaps it was some natural law or an unknown force, akin to a god.
But regardless of the cause, she knew there was an inexplicable force gradually making her forget many things — both her experiences in her previous life and the events of Game of Thrones. Everything started to fade.
Realizing this, Cornélia began to memorize and reflect daily. For her, it was enough to recall one more detail, no matter how small or significant.
She clearly understood how important those memories would be for her future life in this new world. She wanted to write them down, but as a baby, she had no way to do so.
Finally, when she was able to hold a pen, she already remembered very little. However, fortunately, she had worked hard to keep some essential memories alive, such as the events involving the Stark family.
She wrote her memories down gradually, in a language only she could understand. Fortunately, she never abandoned her native tongue. However, even when she tried to deliberately recall her past, she could only vaguely remember certain people and events, and not everything was clear. The sequence of events, although confusing, still held some value.
Over the years, she never gave up on trying to recover those memories. Even though it was difficult and the chances were slim, she was fortunate to recall a few important details.
Cornélia often recited the contents of her notebook, ensuring she would never forget them again. After all, the unknown force hadn't managed to erase all of her memories.
Her name now was Cornélia Stark, and even though she had forgotten many things, she knew clearly that she was a character who had never appeared in the story.
Cornélia wasn't sure if this character had originally existed but died at birth and was thus never mentioned, if she had been mentioned but forgotten, or if this character simply never existed.
But one thing she did know: she didn't belong to the story. She was an outsider, someone from another world.
However, no matter what had happened, Cornélia was here now. She had been drawn into the game, and an outsider could become a variable. And variables could change many things.
Like the Stark family!
Whether she had loved the Stark family in the past or was now a Stark herself, Cornélia would never allow her family to be destroyed again.
She would do everything in her power to change everything — she would, and she must!
"Lia, why haven't you gone to sleep yet? You practiced swordsmanship for so long tonight. Aren't you tired?"
Cornélia turned to see Jon approaching, the door already open. She had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn't heard the door open.
"My father asked me to practice swordsmanship and archery, but my mother refused to let Arya learn. She's already very upset. If I dare complain that I'm tired, she won't speak to me for three days."
Since she turned five, her father had personally taught her to wield a sword every night after dark, giving her the ability to defend herself. Naturally, this was something Arya, now eight and dreaming of becoming a swordswoman, envied. However, so far, among the girls in the family, only Cornélia was allowed to openly learn swordsmanship, while the others, like Sansa, were educated to become proper ladies.
Of course, Catelyn never allowed Cornélia, as a noble lady, to disregard feminine etiquette. During the day, Catelyn often personally taught her about behavior and manners. After all, she still believed that girls shouldn't be educated in sword dances and weapons, even though Cornélia's situation was quite unique.
Naturally, Arya was never allowed to learn swordsmanship openly. Since she practiced in secret and sought Jon's guidance, Catelyn certainly didn't know. As for her father, he preferred to turn a blind eye, to some extent.
"That's why she sneaks over to me to learn. She really doesn't follow the rules."
Jon smiled and walked to the window, sitting across from Cornélia. He looked out at the night for a moment and then turned his gaze back to her. Under the moonlight, Cornélia's face appeared pale and cold.
Although it was still summer in Westeros, the North, near the land of eternal winter, received snow even during this season. The people of Winterfell were accustomed to this climate, but Cornélia, wearing only a thin fabric skirt and sitting by the window on such a cold, snowy night, let herself be enveloped by the night wind mingled with snowflakes.
"Are you dreaming again? What are you dreaming about?"
Jon's eyes were full of determination, which made Cornélia pause and look outside. She stared into the endless darkness beyond the window, as if seeing the snowy, shadowy valley of her nightly dreams.
"It's the same story as always: endless snow-covered mountains and snow valleys in the darkness."
"And a Frozen Lake deep in the valley."
Since the age of five, Cornélia had been haunted by nightmares. The scenes occasionally changed, but what never altered was the endless snow and darkness. In truth, these weren't the only anomalies in her being. There was always something more — something that definitely wasn't part of Game of Thrones.
She was a variable, and her future was unpredictable.
Cornélia could only move forward to unravel these mysteries. In three years, she and Sansa would turn thirteen. She had forgotten much of the plot but remembered that when Sansa turned thirteen, the king came to Winterfell and arranged the engagement between Sansa and the prince.
She couldn't remember why the king came to Winterfell. Not even the prince's name came to mind. Many events after the king's visit also eluded her, but she knew that year marked the beginning of the story. And she needed to be ready.
Over the years, Cornélia had learned swordsmanship, combat, pharmacology, and even warfare. Anything that could be useful, she worked hard to learn. In such difficult times, being a noble lady who did nothing wasn't what she wanted for herself.
"But there's something different this time," Cornélia said, looking at Jon with an expression he couldn't decipher.
"This time, I saw something in the Frozen Lake. I don't know what it was. It shone with an ice-blue fluorescence and was buried deep in the Lake, like a blue crystal…"
"I think it was real… It wasn't just a dream!"
It had to be more than a dream. For five years, she had dreamed of that Frozen Lake, like a Pandora's box constantly tempting her.
And now, finally, she felt that a breach had opened, revealing a mysterious ice-blue light.
No one could know what was inside.
Whether it was a dream or a nightmare, she had to fully open Pandora's box to find the answer!
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