"We've been here before, we'll be here again. It's only a matter of time." - Soul

I published this story in 2015. It's been five years. Five bloody Years! That's insane, honestly, these past years haven't been kind to me and certainly 2020 especially has been difficult on a whole lot of people. Looking back at my writings here I believe I've improved quite measurably, if I don't say so myself; although I'm still far from a professional I'm confident I can do better moving forward. That is the plan and reason for this update, ladies and gentlemen. I'm not dead (although I came close once or twice) and neither are the stories in my head, but I don't believe I've done them justice. In light of that I've been working on re-writing Sunset Starks for some time now.

I cannot promise speed, those of you with me long enough should know well; I don't do schedules or deadlines. I work as I please. However with things in life improving (oddly, considering the state of the world) it's my intention to fall back into the comfort I find from writing, perhaps tainted by new experiences - you'll find I've always put a bit of myself into characters, be it positive or otherwise; my OC's are in my mind always flawed creatures. They're human. I aim to stay true to that.

Willam Stark was quite the character study for me. To me he was an overconfident wise-cracking prince always smiling and using humor to hide from his demons. I don't feel I conveyed the character in my head well enough onto paper. I rushed too quickly to do his character credit, in my opinion. His death received many ill-wishers who claimed to abandon the story based purely on his departure and while I don't consider the decision a mistake, it could have been handled more fittingly. It's interesting to me how many cling to the idea that one OC can change the fate of the entire story simply by existing. Will is but one man. He isn't a god. He makes mistakes.

I'll be flushing out the story of Willam Stark in far greater detail, both before and after his arrival in Westeros. I want to paint a better picture. My apologies for anyone who got excited for a new chapter but know that I'm slowly working on re-writing this story to flesh out the characters and world into something of greater quality.

The story will be updated with ALL the new chapters in one massive update at some stage, then we'll continue from where the story current sits.

I thank you for reading and hope to finish re-writing as soon as time and drive permits. Reviews, Feedback, Comments are always welcome :)

I'll leave you with a short section I've written for the new re-writes Prologue chapter...

Chapter 1: The Shipwright

The storm grew closer, creeping, crawling as the fleet moved to avoid it.

"Something is wrong," Brandon thought suddenly, feeling a chill in his bones…

The storm raged ahead, like no storm he'd ever witnessed.

"The Farwind!" A cry came from the crow's nest above them.

A chorus of shouts followed.

"She's turning!"

"The flags raised!"

"What in the gods name is he doing?" Prince Varik added his own voice, rushing to the edge of the deck; shoving crewmen aside to get a better view. The Farwind was Farstarks ship, and it was turning; sharp, right towards the storm.

Rylen's boy had either lost his wits to the sea, or something was very wrong…

"More signals!" The watcher in the nest cried out for all to hear, panic growing in his tone.

"Your Grace?" Captain Bolvir asked. "What should we do-"

The crack was deafening, like thunder; a whip cracked out across the fleet and seemed to stun every soul into silence. All whispers died. The Shipwrights crew watched in awe as time seemed to pass slower. The Farwind was shoved aside, rammed from the far side by some unknown enemy.

"All hands, to arms!" Brandon cried out his order. "We're under attack!"

By what he couldn't say, there were no sails and nothing in sight.

"By the Gods," is all Brandon heard his son mutter, as the whole crew backed away from the ships edge besides his ever-brave boy. The young wolf pup turned to eye his father, with fear fresh in his eyes.

"KRAKEN!" The watchers cry snapped all from their stance, back to reality.

The Farwind had since turned too far, to face away from the fleet, revealing its keel all but shattered; a great oily black monster creature clinging to its hull like a damn leach sucking blood from a man. "Signal the port!" Brandon commanded, refusing to abandon the Farwind to the depths.

At his orders, the bulk of the fleet fled onward to avoid the storm with the flagship of Mormont taking lead; no use against a damn monster – Brandon wished his people safe. That included the Farwind and her crew, many of whom appeared to have abandoned ship as the Farwinds main mast snapped and fell under the kraken's tendrils.

"Dead Ahead!" Brandon ordered.

"Your Grace?!"

"Ram the bastard, Bolvir!"

The wind was with them in the fury of the coming storm.

"Father!" Prince Varik pleaded. "Corren's on that damn ship!"

Rylen's youngest. Gods forgive him, there was no other choice; the Farwind was lost.

"Dead Ahead," Brandon repeated; louder still. "Raise the white flag, show our intent dammit!"

"You'll destroy her!"

"She's already lost lad," Brandon snapped. "but we can save her crew!"

The Shipwright closed distance with the speed of a raging storm, closer and closer still; straight for the Farwind and the beast that held her in its tendrils. The ship's crew, or those that remained, had abandoned the wreck. "BRACE!" Brandon screamed atop his lungs, and his crew held firm.

The two ships collided, and the Shipwrights bowsprit speared the gigantic creature like a hot knife into butter, causing the creature to wail and cry out something frightful; worse than any noise Brandon had ever heard. "STARK!" The cries came as the beast was impaled, dying, black blood flowing into the sea.

"Get the survivors up!" Brandon ordered; his eyes darted swiftly to the storm that now threatened them. "We're not out of the woods yet boys! All hands dammit!"

"We'll never make it," The captain muttered to his king. "Not with the beast weighing us down…"

The beast was still skewered on the Shipwrights bow.

"Gods be dammed…"

The sea was black with blood around them as the Farwind sank like a stone into the depths, the stink of it assaulting all onboard. Two other ships of the fleet had followed the Shipwright, standing by no doubt in awe. "We'll have to abandon the Shipwright for the Frostbite," suggested Prince Varik hastily.

"There were two," came another voice; from a man drenched in blood; clawing himself onto the deck.

"What?" Brandon asked, eyeing the young man. Something in his eyes spoke of horrors.

"Corren!" Prince Varik rushed the man and embraced him as a brother, despite the foul smell.

"Two," The blood drenched Corren Farstark snarled more akin to wolf than man. "By the gods and the lives of my crew I swear it, Your Grace! The first was huge, it knocked off my fucking stern! The whole damn thing!" Silence washed over the ship. What creature was large enough to do that?

That was… That was madness…

"The kraken crawled onto my deck like it was…"

"It was what?" Brandon asked warily.

Farstark's mind seemed to wander off from reality.

"Cousin?" Varik asked his friend, growing all too clearly concerned.

The man never had a chance to explain as the Shipwright jolted, and half the crew lost their footing.

"Corren!" Prince Varik called out to his friend as the man was flung back over the ship, into the sea thick with blood, into the darkness.

"What now?!" Brandon thought, his wolfsblood raising; this was damn madness. Varik had moved to grab his friend, just in time to watch him fall, and now between the ripples of blood and saltwater he could see a shadow move underneath; larger than anything had any right to be. This was no mere kraken.

Brandon and his crew watched in silence as the Frostbite was hoisted up out of the bloodied sea by a small island of scales and fins, lifting the ship up with unnatural ease and knocking it aside. The Frostbite crew's screams rang out as it fell crashing back down into the sea, splintering, sinking into the depths of blood.

That's just a short teaser of the new Prologue I've written of Brandon the Shipwright. After the prologue you'll see many chapters on Willam's early life and everything that shapes him into the man that eventually sets sail across the sunset for Westeros, including some segments of his time in the Empire.

This also gives me the opportunity to expand on his family and the other Sunset Starks.

Until then, catch me on Youtube via SoulGamesInc or on Discord via invite/A58zqbd

My Regards
- Soul