Wayward King - 003 (Patreon)

Chapter 003 – Miswak

[289 AC – Winterfell]

Eventually, a servant maid entered Jon's room with a tablet full of food, which was covered under a cloth to keep it warm during its journey from the kitchen to his room in the Great Keep.

The maid's name was Alyssa and she worked in the kitchen under Gage, who was the head of the castle kitchen with several maids, servants, and apprentices working for him to feed the whole household.

Naturally, the main household was mostly limited to those living in the Great Keep, which was reserved for members of House Stark including Jon as he was an acknowledged bastard of Eddard Stark, though not a legitimized one.

Then there was the Maester Luwin, Steward Polle, the Septa Chayle and Mordane, the household guards, as well as the other people directly working for House Stark. All those also had to be fed by the kitchen on a regular day-to-day basis, which required at least half-a-dozen people's work around the clock.

Normally, the food was served in the Great Hall where everyone, including the Stark family, took their meals, though due to his debilitating circumstances, Jon's meal was delivered to him.

Alyssa was a young woman around twenty years of age, judging by her facial features. And while she wasn't a beauty, she also wasn't ugly. Her figure was slim, the hard work leaving her with little chance to be overweight even as a kitchen maid.

She also had the common dark hair and eyes of most Northerners and wouldn't particularly stick out of a crowd. But Jon had always liked her since her smile was sincere and her eyes kind.

“It's great that you are awake Jon, you had me worried.”, Alyssa greeted him with soft joy the moment she entered the room, smiling at him.

Placing the food on the bed, she took a seat in the chair that the Lady Stark had vacated before lifting the cloth from the tablet and revealing a small pot of hot porridge along with some herbal tea.

Seeing how pale he looked, obviously still weakened from his fever, Alyssa didn't hesitate to grab the bowl and spoon herself and scooped up some porridge while saying kindly: "Let me help you with that."

She blew over it so that it would cool down a bit before she extended the spoon to the young boy's lips.

Not taking the offered food though, Jon had a wry smile on his face as he stated: "I would like to clean my teeth first, Alyssa."

Normally, he wouldn't care about his oral hygiene at all like most boys his age but with the somewhat blurry memories of another life in his head, he couldn't quite endure the tangy taste on his tongue and the slightly mossy feeling on his teeth.

He knew that this was rather normal considering the fever dreams that he suffered but even as weak as he felt now, the thought of eating something before brushing his teeth wasn't an appetizing one.

Somewhat surprised, Alyssa halted for a moment before she laughed lightly and set down the food again.

"Well, who am I to deny a young man his urge to have clean teeth and a fresh breath.", she joked before asking, "Where are your brush and bowl then?"

Pointing at the only sideboard in the room that functioned as a wardrobe, Jon answered: “It's the first drawer on the right side.”

Nodding as she stood up, her thick woolen dress tightening around her small bust for a moment, Alyssa reached the sideboard in just a few steps and pulled it open, finding a wooden bowl, a clean and frayed twig, a piece of cloth, and some semi-fresh herbs wrapped in that same cloth.

There were some other trinkets, mostly badly carved wooden figures, which she ignored as she brought him the bowl and the rest of his brushing kit.

“Thank you.”, Jon said gratefully, his voice carrying an exhausted undertone as he grabbed the water skin and let out a bit of water into the bowl before placing the frayed end of the twig inside the water.

Unfolding the piece of cloth while the dry twig got moistened and started to absorb some of the water, making it much more suitable as a toothbrush, Jon placed the few leaves of sage to the side so that he could use the cloth to wipe his mouth later on.

Finally taking the twig, whose frayed end had gotten softer and less prickly, he started to vigorously and thoroughly clean his teeth for a few short minutes while Alyssa busied herself with restarting the fire in the fireplace, which thankfully hadn't gone out completely, to keep the room warm.

Normally, Winterfell wouldn't be too cold even in winter, thanks to the warm spring beneath the castle which somehow transferred its heat through the thick stone walls of the keep. But seeing as he was recovering from a fever and was a child still, the fire was a necessity to keep him warm.

Thoroughly abusing the frayed twig, rubbing it against his teeth and chewing on it, he recalled that it was from a tree called miswak, which grew abundantly in the woods around Winterfell.

This particular tree was hailed as great to be used as a toothbrush even in modern times of his former life since it acted anti-septic, strengthened the gums, prevented tartar and tooth decay, and freshened the breath.

Considering that Jon had no interest in having black teeth at the age of 30, he swore to be diligent in his oral hygiene in the future as he flushed his mouth with a small sip of water before he spat it into the bowl.

Wiping his mouth with his cloth and half-drying the frayed twig, he placed two leaves of sage in his mouth and started chewing on them to refresh the taste in his mouth.

Alyssa meanwhile grabbed the wooden bowl and emptied it into the bucket of ash next to the fireplace and wiped it clean with the cloth before placing it back into the drawer with the twig and the herbs.

Jon had 'borrowed' those leaves of sage from Maester Luwin's herb field in the Glass Gardens, which was also where the fruit in his porridge came from. The greenhouse in Winterfell was considered an absolute luxury in the North since Myrish crystal glass was incredibly expensive, given that normal glass had not yet been invented.

There were only a few other larger noble houses that could afford such a Glass Garden in the North though none of them were as big and produced as much as the one in Winterfell since the natural spring under the castle also fed into the greenhouse, keeping the air warm and the earth moist.

"Ready to kiss a girl now, are we?", Alyssa asked teasingly, her laugh light as she brushed over his cheek with sisterly affection.

"I wouldn't mind if you are offering.", Jon quipped back before he could stop himself, smirking at Alyssa with faint roguish mischief.

The additional set of memories had caused him to lose his shyness when it came to the fairer gender almost entirely, given that he now remembered being intimate with numerous beautiful women from all parts of the world.

Her eyes widening in shock and surprise, Alyssa replied with a snort: "Someone's gotten bold. Your fever must have gotten to your head, little man."

Taking up the spoon again, she added: "Now, be quiet and eat. You need something warm in your stomach to get back to your feet."

"Maester Luwin himself prepared the herbs for the tea and instructed the kitchen to add fresh fruit and nuts to the porridge. He will be coming to see you too, after he finishes his breakfast, to check on your condition.", she started to explain while she fed him from the bowl of porridge.

This time, Jon gladly accepted the offered food while listening to Alyssa word's since he felt famished. The taste was surprisingly good though, mild with a hint of sweetness, the crushed nuts adding a slightly bitter and crunchy note to the otherwise liquid porridge.

“I will also make sure to tell the other maids to prepare a hot bath for you once the Maester has left, and for them to change your furs and sheets.”, she added.

"Thank you.", Jon said again, affection in his tone, getting a smile in return.

It didn't take him long to finish the large serving of porridge and the tea. Sinking back into his bedding, he sighed quietly, content with his hunger satiated and tiredness creeping up on him again.

“Get well, Jon.”, he heard a faint whisper just before sleep took him, a soft hand brushing back his raven-black locks.

…

"Your heat has gone down and your appetite is back. This is good.", Maester Luwin declared with a smile, taking his hand back from Jon's forehead and continuing confidently, "Soon your strength will return and the cold will be fought off completely."

"Though you must rest during these few days and not overexert yourself, child.", he added with a deeper, more authoritative tone, looking down at Jon sternly, "I shall be the one to tell you when it is time for you to act rambunctiously again, not your boredom. Do you understand, Jon?"

Wearing his thick dark gray cloak, a long chain with different metal links around his neck, his hair already half as gray as his cloak, Maester Luwin spoke firmly but with care, as he stood by Jon's bedside.

The deep wrinkles on his face showed his advanced age though he looked surprisingly spry for an older man, still.

“Yes, Maester.”, Jon replied with a calm nod, having no intention to risk his health.

Even though his opinion of modern medicine was rather disdainful since one couldn't really expect the truth to come out of a doctor's mouth in his last life as profit had trumped any concern for human life at some point, big pharma businesses acting more as a cancer of society than the provider for remedies, he also knew that with the lack of modern conveniences when falling sick or injured, survival wasn't a guarantee anymore.

This world lacked the technology for surgery to be a reliable medical method, which meant that even broken bones could easily leave one crippled if it was a complicated fracture that couldn't simply be set and splinted.

The same was true for most diseases as most treatments were basically trial and error or just outright wrong.

Naturally, this was normal as it had taken advanced technology for humanity to make any significant improvements in the medical field while this world didn't even have electricity, not to mention highly-advanced scanning equipment or standardized laboratories and surgical practices.

Jon knew that he had to take care of his own health if he wanted to live a long and healthy life, which caused some interest in the healing methods of this world to bloom in his mind.

Learning to at least mend broken bones and how to bandage wounds sounded like a good idea for someone that planned to become the greatest warrior of his time, after all.

“Good.”, Maester Luwin nodded, apparently satisfied with his answer and demeanor, “Now, I have to go and prepare for the lessons of your brother, which you will be exempt of during your recovery, but not a day longer, young man.”

"Yes, Maester Luwin.", Jon acknowledged.

"Rest well, Jon.", the Maester spoke, apparently satisfied with his answer as he moved to leave the room.

Though Jon called out once more before the older man could leave: "Maester, could you have someone deliver me some books to relieve my boredom?"

Turning back to him, surprise in his gaze, Luwin replied: "You, Jon Snow, want to read books? It seems the fever has gotten me too and I am dreaming."

Ignoring the teasing laugh, Jon knew that he had never been interested in books and learning in general but he had started to understand that his mind had to be as sharp as his blade if he wanted to make something out of himself. This world had no mercy for weaklings and fools.

"Yes, I want books.", he insisted with a stubborn expression that did not carry any austerity given his childish feature, but his grey eyes were clear and bright.

Giving him a deep look, the Maester eventually nodded, thinking that Jon may just not want to be left behind in his studies in comparison to his brother Robb.

"I will see that you get some reading material.", the elder man voiced out and finally left the small bedchamber.