[Chapter Size: 2300 Words.]

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  "Wow... Whoosh!"

  A sharp arrow shot from the longbow, quickly cutting through the night sky and hitting the target. The feathers on the arrow’s tail fluttered slightly.

  "Your archery skills are as good as ever. Bran is going to get depressed again when he sees this!" Robb said, g. It had been three years since Bran started practig archery, but his skills still left much to be desired. He would get disced every time he saw others shoot arrows with precision.

  "Don’t mock Bran all the time. He’s still young, and one day, he’ll surpass you!" elia replied.

  elia took another arrow, on the longbow, and shot again. As she did, she expio Robb that Bran didn’t have enough strength in his forearms. Since childhood, elia had excelled in archery and feng due to her special physique, strohan many of her peers.

  But when it came to archery, there was no doubt about Arya’s talent. The eleven-year-old girl was also very skilled. Still, there were those who believed Bran, at just ten years old, had potential in this area.

  But did it really matter? elia khat Bran’s true talent y in another skill. She vaguely remembered something about it. Was it called “Green Seer”? She had a faint recolle that he could predict the future and even trol humans and animals.

  But thinking about it, elia put down her bow and frowned. She was deliberately trying to remember everything about the Stark family. Though she fot maails, there was one se involving Bran that remained clear in her mind.

  It was a versatioween a girl and Bran. The girl said, "You died in that cave!"

  elia also remembered Bran replying, "I’m not Bran, not anymore!"

  The specific details of that versation were vague, but she dared not fet those two sentences, no matter what happehe most frustrating thing was that she couldn’t uand what they meant.

  Were people alive, but already dead?She just couldn’t prehend it!

  "Have you improved retly? You don’t seem so weak anymore, and you’re finally not feeling cold anymore?"

  Robb noticed that elia had suddenly stopped and approached her, somewhat intrigued. He smiled wheiced she had returo wearing fine dresses. As expected, elia really didn’t like heavy clothes. At the same time, it seemed like she had finally put aside her worries.

  In the past three years, elia had been afraid of the cold. Once resistant to low temperatures, she had beore sensitive to the cold than anyone else. Furthermore, her body had bee weaker, which worried everyone.

  But, fortunately, elia seemed to be slowly rec si month. Could it mean that the unknown, seemingly ordinary egg was about to hatch?

  "I'm actually feeling a lot better. I feel more power in my body than before, and it seems like it’s abs less energy now!"

  elia pushed her doubts about Bran aside for the time being. She looked at the egg hanging around her neck by a thin string. Fortunately, the egg wasn’t rge and didn’t get in the way. Suddenly, she found herself w: "What could hatch from such a small egg? Wouldn’t it just be an ordinary bird egg?"

  "Could it hatch soon? What exactly is it?"

  Robb also looked at elia’s neck. This had been the biggest question among their siblings for the past three years, occasionally ing up in their versations. It was clear that this was a debate with no answer.

  But now, it seemed the answer was about to arrive.

  "Who knows? I just hope it happens soon!"

  elia really didn’t like the feeling of uainty. In the past three years, she had also questioned what was ihe egg. Furthermore, her physical weakness and diminishing strength made her both worried and frustrated.

  Still, aside from the egg, not everything she had gained from her journey north had been bad. She had also obtaihat blue-ice fme!

  It was something she only realized after returning to Winterfell. One night, she dreamed of the se where she was surrounded by blue fmes. The biting cold struck her again, and the pierg pain in her bones made her wake up.

  When she woke up, she discovered her body was enveloped in blue-ice fmes. Miraculously, the pain had disappeared. Even more surprising was realizing that she could trol the fme, maniputing its image mentally.

  This discovery made her ecstatic. After expl the true purpose of the blue-ice fme, she felt that all the effort and suffering had been worth it.

  She didn’t kly what this fme was, why it was so peculiar, or where it came from. So, she decided to call it Ice Fire. It wasn’t hot like an ordinary fme but cold and sharp like ice.

  The Ice Fire made elia feel that the trip north had been the right decision, alleviating some of her disfort and ay.

  But the beginning of the story was getting closer, and the scary moments she feared were approag quickly. She couldn’t avoid the panic. However, the egg remaiable like a mountain, abs her strength relentlessly. This irritated her deeply, making her want to break it open forcefully. But, of course, she knew she couldn’t do that.

  But, fortunately, si month, she noticed that the energy absorbed by the egg had started to decrease. Retly, elia had stopped feeling cold, and her body wasn’t as weak as before. It was a sign that things were improving.

  "Okay, don’t think about it anymore. You’ll know wheime es. Why not think about tomorrow’s birthday party? You and Sansa will turn 13. I heard your father prepared a special gift for you. Aren’t you curious?"

  Her father never had favorites among the children, including Jon. Each birthday gift was carefully chosen by her mother. As head of the family, he didn’t care much about it a Catelyn in charge of the task.

  Moreover, with so many children in the family, it would be tiring for him to prepare the gifts every year. Only her mother had the care and dedication to choose something special for each of them, sidering their ever-ging preferences.

  But this year, something seemed different. There were rumors that her father had received something ued from Dorne in the south. It was said he inteo give it to elia as a birthday gift, but the details were unknown. It was just a rumor overheard from the servants.

  "When did my father start preparing birthday gifts? Isn’t it always my mother who does this? Seems like there really is a little surprise this year. I bet Sansa will be jealous!"

  elia ughed as she said this, teasing her father ihoughts. She khat Sansa, who shared the same birthday, wouldn’t care that much. After all, for years, the gifts had always been prepared by their mother, without exception.

  This year, elia imagihat the gift was something her father had received by d that ended up being perfect for her. Still, curiosity was growing.

  She couldn’t wait to find out what it was!

  The m, Catelyn woke up early, and with Maester Luwia Mordane, and other helpers, she began preparing for the evening ba. Although it was just a children’s birthday party and not meant to be grand, the celebration involved the family and a few close vassals. After all, it was the birthday of two of her children, and as a mother, Catelyn wanted everything to be perfect.

  elia and Sansa were blessed from early on. They both wore new dresses sewn by Catelyn, which also served as their birthday gifts from their mother.

  Catelyn didn’t shoreferences in her gifts: every year, each child received a new piece of clothing. It was uandable that when preparing a gift for the father, he preferred frugality, advog simplicity on all occasions.

  When evening fell, the ba officially began. After prayers, everyone ehe food prepared with great care. Catelyn rexed during these bas, as she was used to this rhythm.

  One of the most appreciated traditions was the special allowance for elia and Sansa to drink a little wine during the party. Even Bran, at ten years old, could try fruit wine, while Ri, still very small, tented himself with juice.

  At the height of the celebration, it was time for the exge of gifts. elia and Sansa sat together, while family and friends approached to pce their gifts oables.

  Robb gave both of them white fox shawls as white as snow. Jon gave Sansa fluffy gloves and elia an exquisite dagger. Arya offered embroidered handkerchiefs, made relutly uhe supervision and insistence of Septa Mordane.

  Arya didn’t like embroidery, but Septa Mordane always mao vince her to learn.

  Bran, in turn, gave the sisters small wooden bracelets carved by himself. The carvings were not perfed had several visible fws, but Bran’s effort left elia touched.

  She loved this gift!

  Ri’s gifts, who turned six this year, were charming: small animals made of straw. Hers was a dragonfly, and Sansa’s was a butterfly. elia immediately realized that Maester Luwin must have taught Ri how to braid. After all, these small is were only found in the south, and Ri had bee quite fasated with them retly.

  came the gifts from Maester Luwin, Ser Rodrik, and even Theon, whht books and delicate fans from merts in the south.

  Since she and Sansa were twins and celebrated their birthdays together every year, the gifts were usually simir, with small variations. Most of the gifts prepared by their mother and given by their father followed this pattern, except for their fifth birthday.

  That year, their mother did something different. Perhaps it was a quiet promise, as elia had begun having nightmares around that time. Her father suggested that she learn martial arts tthen herself. At the birthday party, her mave her a longbow, as a silent form of sent.

  Thus, the day after her fifth birthday, elia officially began learning archery.

  This year also seemed to be different. After the delivery of gifts from everyone, her mother presented a delicate little box to Sansa.

  "You’re 13 now, and you’re a young dy. It’s time to adorn yourself with beautiful jewelry!" Catelyn smiled gently. The sapphire neckce sparkled brightly uhe dlelight, and she had specially requested someone from the south to find it.

  "Thank you, mother! Thank you, father!" Sansa thanked joyfully. Her father always championed frugality. She had a few pieces of jewelry, but never such a precious sapphire neckce.

  "Lia, e here! Yift is here!" Ned called, waving his hand. He looked at Sansa, smiling at her happiness, then turo elia.

  Oable was a slender wooden box. Curious, elia moved closer.

  "I heard that my father personally prepared a gift for me this year. At first, I didn’t believe it, but now I’m starting to get excited!"

  elia smiled at her father. Until now, only Robb and Jon had received swords as presents from their father wheuren. Could it be that her gift was also a sword this year?

  Looking at the slender wooden box, it seemed truly possible!

  "Open it and take a look, you’ll like it!" Ned said, giving the box a light tap and looking at elia with anticipation.

  elia ughed at her father’s mysterious expression. In fact, she already had a good idea of what it might be. After all, what else could be inside such a long, thin box, if not a sword?

  Still, she reached out to unlock the box and opehe lid slowly. But something ued happened!

  Was it a e for the blind?

  "...?"

  elia remained silent. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the gift, but she couldn’t uand why her father had made such a fuss about a blind man’s e. While it was delicate aiful, it didn’t seem like the kind of gift her father would choose.

  Aside from elia, even Robb, Jon, and the others were momentarily surprised. No one would dare ugh out loud at a gift carefully prepared by Ned, but the astonishment was clear.

  "Child, open it and take a look!" Ned said calmly, ign the fused expressions around him. He took the e from the box and ha to elia.

  elia hesitated as she held the e but noticed that the handle’s position was different from the usual blind es. It seemed more like the hilt of a sword.

  "Hilt?"

  elia’s eyes suddenly sparkled. Holding the hah her right hand and the bottom with her left, she pulled hard.

  With a whistling sound, the bde was uhed!

  It was indeed a sword!

  A sword that fit her perfectly. Looking closer at the bde, elia realized it was made of Valyrian steel. She was familiar with her family’s aral sword, "Ice," and had no doubt about the material. Even though this sword was smaller than Id used less steel, it wasn’t easy to find enough material te a bde like this.

  elia looked at her father, incredulous, but saw firmation in his eyes. Joyfully, she stroked the slender body of the sword. It was light, agile, and perfectly crafted for her.

  "Father, thank you! This is my favorite birthday gift!" elia said, pg the sword ba its sheath. What seemed like a mere blind e transformed into a and deadly on. Every detail revealed her father’s affe and good iions.

  Arya and Bran, fasated by the sword, moved closer to see it better. Robb and Jon also joined, bringing a tagious energy. The atmosphere of the ba became even livelier.

  elia pced the sword oable for everyoo admire, while stepping aside to stand by her mother, watg the fun with her parents.

  Seeing everyohered, ughing and celebrating, elia thought that this was truly the best birthday gift.

  If only her birthday wish could e true.

  She just wanted every year to be like this, forever!

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