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Bran

It see for years

Fly, a voice whispered in the darkness, but Bran did not kno to fly, so all he could do was fall

Maester Luwin made a little boy of clay, baked him till he was hard and brittle, dressed hi him off a roof Bran remembered the way he shattered "But I never fall," he said, falling

The ground was so far below hirey mists that whirled around hi, and he kneas waiting for him down there Even in dreams, you could not fall forever He would wake up in the instant before he hit the ground, he knew You aloke up in the instant before you hit the ground

And if you don’t? the voice asked

The ground was closer now, still far far away, a thousand miles away, but closer than it had been It was cold here in the darkness There was no sun, no stars, only the ground below co voice He wanted to cry

Not cry Fly

"I can’t fly," Bran said "I can’t, I can’t"

How do you know? Have you ever tried?

The voice was high and thin Bran looked around to see where it was co doith hi hi, the crow replied Say, got any corn?

Bran reached into his pocket as the darkness spun dizzily around hiolden kernels slid froers into the air They fell with hian to eat

"Are you really a crow?" Bran asked

Are you really falling? the crow asked back

"It’s just a dream," Bran said

Is it? asked the crow

"I’ll wake up when I hit the ground," Bran told the bird

You’ll die when you hit the ground, the crow said It went back to eating corn

Bran looked down He could see mountains now, their peaks white with snow, and the silver thread of rivers in dark woods He closed his eyes and began to cry

That won’t do any good, the crow said I told you, the answer is flying, not crying How hard can it be? I’ it The crow took to the air and flapped around Bran’s hand

"You have wings," Bran pointed out

Maybe you do too

Bran felt along his shoulders, groping for feathers

There are different kinds of wings, the crow said

Bran was staring at his ars He was so skinny, just skin stretched taut over bones Had he always been so thin? He tried to re with light, golden "The things I do for love," it said

Bran screa Not that, it shrieked at hiet that, you do not need it now, put it aside, put it away It landed on Bran’s shoulder, and pecked at hione