####
"Mother's tits… that bastard nearly split me in two," Wenda spat, shifting in her saddle with a grimace. "Still feel him rattlin' around in my guts."
She'd reached Riverlands, and just as Wylis had said, she found a convoy of traders and men of House Stark, headed North. With the wedding of Brandon Stark and Catelyn Tully close, the trade between the two houses had already increased.
"How do you know our Wylis?" asked a man from Winter Town, a small-time trader mostly hauling grain from the south to the North.
He begged me to birth him a bastard, that's how I met that sick fuck.
Of course, she didn't say that. It was too shameful even for her. "Met him fighting some bandits. Pretty big guy, decent, I guess. Said he'd give me a job in Winter Town after he's done hunting bandits for the King."
"Aye, if Wylis said it, then it's as good as done. That lad's been a right gift to the town, he has." The trader scratched his beard, then nodded toward another rider. "Oi, Andros, didn't Wylis help fix up yer place last winter?"
"He did. Not just the roof, mind ye—the whole bloody support post, too. Man's strong as an ox, lifted the thing with naught but his arms and set it straight. Wouldn't take coin either. Just asked for some eggs."
Ruts like an ox too. Wenda scoffed under her breath.
"Always had a taste for eggs n' meat, that one. Remember the tanner's daughter? Wylis hunted her up furs for the wedding dowry and helped with coins too—just for a good bite to eat." Said the trader, fondness in his voice spilling. "You'll be fine in Winter Town, Linda. If you're with Wylis, you're with us."
Linda was her new name since Wenda and that scar on her face made it all too easy. She listened to the two men talk about tales of Wylis the entire time. And surprisingly, she didn't feel bored.
It was interesting to learn what a man as tall and strong as Wylis could achieve. She was surprised to learn that the first time Wylis even left the threshold of Winter Town was for the tourney. Heck, the tourney was the first time Wylis got to battle like that. Even jousting was the first time for him, yet he defeated Rhaegar and broke the prince's teeth.
As they rode, she learned of the changes Wylis had brought to the people of Winter Town. They were small things, but they meant a lot. He became the unofficial protector of the town's whorehouse, saving girls from violent men, involuntary trafficking, or men who don't pay. He became an unofficial minor injuries healer, patching up broken arms and legs as long as not too serious.
Wylis even taught little kids and some grown-ups to at least count and read basic words so they wouldn't get deceived in the market.
In return, all Wylis took from the people was food. Eventually, it reached a point where if there was any celebration in Winter Town, Wylis was invited first. If some household was cooking meat, Wylis was invited to a small meal. Even when some farmer, blacksmith, carpenter, or someone asked him for help with their work, Wylis took food instead of money.
Slowly, Wenda came to understand how Wylis maintained that big body of his. Why he was so well-built, and not just a lanky, thin tree.
Did he plan it all along?
Whilst planning to forget about that man, she ended up feeling more intrigued.
####
Hunting was going well for Wylis. The more prosperous the region was, the more bandits there were. But to catch them he often had to leave the main road and enter forests, or deeper into villages.
As the headcount began to reach nearly a hundred, Wylis changed his direction and went further south, beyond the Westerlands. Soon, he reached Old Oak, the seat of House Oakheart. He didn't have business with the Lord, but a man living in the town near the Lord's Castle.
After asking around for so long, and meeting every Maester he could find, he finally had the location of one ex-Maester named Qyburn. The man had his chains taken away, and his position in the Citadel was lost. Nevertheless, Qyburn was still in the Reach.
Instantly the center of attention, Wylis rolled into the small town and quickly set up his temporary base in an inn. He paid for the lodging, and a hearty midday meal, fed his horse, and launched his search for Qyburn.
He was well prepared to meet the man and confident to recruit him. After all, Qyburn desired the secrets of the human body, and to learn the workings of the soul and death. While the Citadel may not understand that thought, Wylis did. He was rather interested as well since his own soul had travel worlds.
Besides, he wanted to turn Qyburn into a top-tier healer and a surgeon. For that, Wylis had begrudgingly made some purchases using his lifespan. But it hurt him less as it was an investment.
He had purchased basic medical mastery for six months, human anatomy mastery for six months, and obstetrician mastery for one year.
[Remaining lifespan - 61 Years 5 Months]
Just like that, two years were gone. But at least he had Wenda and Genna ready. But what if they miscarry? That was the real fear.
Sixty-one, ha? Not good, not bad.
Eventually, Wylis ended up finding the exact location of Qyburn. And he had to rush to get to the man. The word was that Qyburn was getting ready to set sail for Essos soon.
By the time sunset neared, Wylis knocked on a back-alley building's door. It looked as if nobody lived inside, all the windows were fully shut, and there was dirt all over around the door.
Knock! Knock!
Wylis kept knocking, a minute passed, and then fifteen minutes passed.
"Qyburn, be a good man and unlatch that door. I've got business to discuss, not a door to ruin."
Knock! Kno—
Right then the doors opened. A lone, tall man stood, his eyes brown, wrinkled around them. His hair had turned grey, although it didn't seem like he was that old. Lean in the frame, he looked like your average neighborhood man. His robes were ragged and poorly sewn, and there were no Maester's chains.
Qyburn measured Wylis' fearsome height and size with some fright. A natural reaction for a Maester. "My, you do cast a long shadow. Tell me, what brings you here, good fellow?"
Wylis smiled, seeing the fear in the man's eyes. Pretty good at keeping calm.
"I'm Wylis of Winterfell. Maybe that means something to you," Wylis said and looked left and right, aware that he was being spied on. Getting seen fucking Genna was alright—what he was up to now wasn't for prying eyes.
"Mind if we have a quiet word? Somewhere less... public?"
A little hesitant, but there was no way Qyburn could deny a literal giant. "Join me inside."
It reeked of strange medicines and potions inside the house. It was a mess everywhere, jars littered across the floor and cupboards, some held human body parts. They weren't new to Wylis, having seen plenty in his past life. His company was a titan in the pharma industry, after all.
"Have a seat." Qyburn quickly cleaned a chair and pulled it from the table full of more jars.
Wylis eyed the surroundings with interest. "I've heard a lot about you."
"It's just…"
"I'm impressed." Wylis interrupted, knowing well the man expected some sort of a barrage of insults, gods invoked, and his actions cursed. "I don't understand why the Citadel let you go. Peering inside the human body and learning how it ticks—that's the bare bones of healing. How else can you fix a man if you don't know how the heart pushes blood or the lungs breathe oxygen and throw out carbon dioxide? It's germs that bring sickness, not some old rot or curse."
Astonished, brows high, Qyburn looked at Wylis' face like he was magic incarnate. Half the words were foreign to him. "Oxygen? Carbon di… germs? What are those?"
Got you!
Wylis crossed his arms as if it were common knowledge. "Isn't it normal to ask questions? Why do we choke without air? Why can't we breathe underwater? You've carved up enough corpses to know what lungs do—fill up, empty out. So what are they pulling in? Sure, you'd say air, and you'd be half right. But it's not just the air. Like a stew's got more than just meat, the air's got parts to it. The bit we need, I call that oxygen. What we spit back out, that's carbon dioxide. Two sides of the same breath."
Right then, Qyburn dragged another chair and sat down facing Wylis, rubbing his chin in thought. "I have pondered that too. Though I confess, it had not occurred to me that the very air might be... composed of parts."
"I can prove it," Wylis said with a half-smile. "Just fetch me a candle, a jar, a bit of water, some limestone, wood ash, and a tube."
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