AN: Boy, here we go again. I present to you a project I've been working on for quite some time. It is yet another Naruto and ASOIAF / GOT crossover. In this story, Naruto is not highborn; he is a mere orphan from the smallfolk. I know this concept has already been explored, but bear with me please.

Edit: Naruto is 15, Garlan is 10, and the year is 283 AC.

Summary: The life of a mercenary had been all Naruto had known for most of his life. He had greater aspirations than remaining a lowly sellsword for the rest of his life however. He would rise and become a legend. By hook or by crook.

Chapter 1: A legend in the making

Naruto bit into his lamb leg viciously, tearing chunks of meat, greedily wolfing them down. Eating was good. It meant that he was still alive. He had survived another day in this shitty realm. His dirty rags hugged his body closely. It was better than parading around naked. They provided little protection however from the chilling breeze blowing in the camp. It was the third day of the eleventh moon, they were nearing the coldest time of the year. Sure, it was still a nice Summer going by Westerosis standards. It didn't change the fact that it was damn cold. Naruto would be lucky if he didn't end up freezing in his cot tonight.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a kid amble toward him. He looked emaciated; Naruto idly wondered when he last had a full meal. The boy shuffled closer, seemingly drawn by the exhalations coming from Naruto's still nearly full plate. The boy just stood silent as a wraith, observing Naruto eat his potatoes with a hunger in his eyes that was unsettling.

"What do you want?" Naruto bit out between two mouthfuls.

The boy worried his lower lip, clearly hesitating about stating what was tormenting him. Last time he had begged for food from a sellsword, he had been pushed roughly and had quickly left when he heard the threat of being gutted like a fish if he dared show his face again.

His stomach growled loudly, prompting him to ask the question again, "Please Sir, can I have something to eat? It doesn't have to be much, just a morsel, please, I'm starving," his voice trembled pathetically at the end.

Naruto's first reaction was to say hells no. He had earned his pittance by killing enemies on the battlefield earlier. He had risked his life for the food; he wasn't about to hand it to anyone. However, seeing the pitiful state of the beggar, he swallowed his angry retort and pushed the plate toward the boy.

"You can have it all, you've spoiled my damn appetite with your ugly mug. When was the last time you took a bath?" Naruto asked seeing the grime on the boy's face. He ignored the way the boy's eyes lit up when Naruto handed him the victuals.

The boy hungrily wolfed down the potatoes and half of the lamb's leg before answering, "Maybe one month, give or take,"

Naruto's nose scrunched up in displeasure, "No wonder you stink. What's your name anyways, boy?"

The boy puffed his chest proudly, pointing at himself with his thumb as he introduced himself, "My name's Garlan the Great, I'm gonna be the greatest knight the Seven Kingdoms have ever seen once I'm grown up!" he said flamboyantly.

Naruto slapped the back of Garlan's head, "Don't add a moniker to your name when you're still a snot-nosed brat, you twit. What in the seven hells are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in your bed? Where are your mommy and daddy?"

"I'm not a brat," Garlan sulked. Then his disposition turned sad and sobs wracked his small frame, "my mommy and daddy a-are d-d," he couldn't finish the sentence. If he did he would end up bawling his eyes out and he refused to do so. He had sworn not to cry ever again. He would be strong. He had to.

Naruto's eyes softened and he gently patted the boy's head. "Hey it's going to be alright, don't cry, okay?" he was awful at comforting people.

Garlan sniffed a few more times, then nodded and cast an inquisitive glance at the blonde, "and what's your name?"

Naruto grinned, "The name's Naruto, mercenary extraordinaire!"

Garlan giggled at the introduction, his earlier mood forgotten, "Naruto? That's a weird name!" he said playfully.

"You'd be surprised," Naruto had expected this answer, they always said the same thing when he told his name, "it means 'Maelstrom' in some ancient language. At least I believe it does," he wiggled his brows garnering more laughs from Garlan.

Their merry chatter was interrupted by an obnoxious set of voices belonging to Willem and his posse of dimwitted cunts. The little twat had a mean streak a mile wide. He would sell his own mother for a pretty coin.

"I told you the little cur would run with its tail between its legs," Willem jeered, jerking his head in Garlan's direction.

"What do you want, Willem?" Naruto did his best to stay cordial and not antagonize the older boy.

"Well, if it isn't our friend Naruto. Did you take pity on the boy? Were I you, I'd let him kiss the hare's foot. Maybe throw him a bone or something, the damn mangy mutt," His two followers cackled maliciously.

"Why don't you bugger off? Obviously nobody wants you here. Go be an obnoxious little shite somewhere else,"

Willem was decidedly not amused. He slammed his hand on the table, jolting the items laying on it. "Listen you freak. One day your luck will turn rotten, and I'll have the last laugh. Watching you suffer will be a real riot,"

"Mayhap," Naruto agreed genially, "but for now the only thing rotten is your breath. Now if you would kindly remove yourself from here before I do so myself. And trust me if it comes to that, you shan't like it,"

A shiver of fear licked Willem's spine and he recoiled violently, as if struck. Among the mercenaries of this camp, Naruto's strength and ruthlessness was well-known. He let out an uneasy chuckle before motioning for his cronies to follow him, which the boys did with a grunt.

"You watch your back!" Willem called before leaving.

During the whole ordeal, Garlan sat without saying a word. He didn't want his savior - and dare he call him a friend ? - to run afoul of Willem. However, judging by the interaction, he needn't have feared for the older boy's wellbeing. He was more than capable of handling Willem and his merry troop of fools. He scratched his cheek, searching for words to express his gratitude to Naruto for everything the boy had done for him, but the blonde got up from his seat and dusted his pants.

"Well, as fun as this evening has been, I believe it is time to go to bed. We wake early on the morrow and march toward the Trident. Rumor has it there is going to be a showdown between the rebels and the royalists, and we wouldn't want to miss that, right? After all, where there's conflict, there's money to be made."

Naruto was about to leave however an awful thought crossed his mind. He hesitantly turned toward Garlan and said "You do have somewhere to sleep tonight...?"

The boy only shook his head and grinned sheepishly, a blush coloring his cheeks.

Naruto heaved a deep sigh and motioned for Garlan to follow him, "Fine, you can sleep in my tent with me, but if you snore I'm kicking you out,"

Dozens of feet trudged through mud, battered coats weathering cold rains and chilly winds as the eleventh moon died and the twelfth came hither. The mercenaries had passed the Inn of the Kneeling man. There, they had found an emissary of house Baratheon who told them to meet the main force a dozen miles eastward.

After a few more hours of walking they reached a camp of considerable proportions. Banners of all colors representing the many houses siding with the rebellion floated in the wind, proudly displaying the animal sigil sewn on them.

The troop of mercenaries was stopped by a gruff looking man with a walrus moustache and a stern face. He brandished a halberd, daring anyone foolhardy enough to try crossing.

"Halt! Who are ye people?" His voice was rougher than his appearance.

The leader of the mercenaries, a lanky man who went by the name of Aethan Murkfoot smiled disarmingly at the knight and spoke the words that should grant them safe passage, "The nightshade is deadlier than the sword".

The guard lowered his weapon but still stayed wary of the odd assortment of men. He eyed Garlan suspiciously.

"Why are there kids among you? Is this a mummer's farce?"

"I can assure you it is nothing of the sort. Every soul here has earned its place among this band and I would be damned before I part with anyone of them," Spoken like a true leader.

The knight seemed unconvinced he was about to ask another question but he was interrupted by the boisterous voice of their leader, the notorious Lord Robert of House Baratheon.

"Don't be so uptight, Wylis! We need every pair of arm we can get, even if some of them are too short to hold a warhammer. A well-placed thrust of a dagger can end a life quicker than a crushing blow from an axe."

The rebellion leader was everything the bards sang about; tall, strong, well-built, handsome, fierce. However there was a cunningness in his eyes as he assessed the mismatched group of men that bespoke of intelligence.

"This war heralds a great many things, both good and bad. There will be a great upheaval and you're sooner to meet the Stranger than glory and fame. Are you still willing to fight for our cause?"

Aethan chuckled and shook his head, "We're not looking for anything grand like glory, just a few coins, shelter and hot food,"

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get this damn thing over with. Ser Manderly will show you around the camp. We're leaving tomorrow at dawn, so you'd better get your asses ready to earn your keep!" With this declaration Robert left the men in the care of Wilys Manderly.

Once they were settled, Naruto wandered around the camp with Garlan in tow, looking for anything interesting. He spotted something out of the ordinary. A few dozen men were standing in a loose circle twenty feet wide, watching two armored men throwing punches at each other with devastating effect. One of the fighters stumbled and fell to the ground, eliciting cheers and boos depending on who bet for or against him.

Naruto smiled wickedly. He handed a small purse to Garlan, instructing him to bet on him if he were to compete. They watched a few more duels then Naruto made a show of sighing loudly, speaking cockily, "You guys really suck at fighting. I bet I could take any of you on with only my left hand, while taking a piss with my right hand,"

A meaty hand fell on his shoulder heavily, accompanied by a rough voice, "Careful about what you say, lad. You wouldn't want to cross the wrong person," by the tone of the voice, Naruto had an idea that the knight must be someone he shouldn't cross.

"What person? All I see is a bear wearing an armor. Is that even allowed?" A few laughs and jeers followed Naruto's impish declaration.

The grip on his shoulder became crushing and Naruto was propelled forward, into the fighting ring, by Ser Bear. "You can still chicken out, I wouldn't blame you for bailing before I begin pummeling you to the ground,"

The knight cracked his knuckles ominously, clearly expecting the blonde to forfeit and go back to whatever hole he crawled out of with his tail between his legs. To his and the crowd's surprise however, the boy merely rolled his shoulders, making the muscles pop satisfyingly.

In the background, Garlan bet the entire sum Naruto gave him on the blonde's victory. The odds were overwhelmingly in favor of Ser Bear's victory.

Without further ado, Ser Bear swung a mighty fist in a blow that may very well have cracked the blonde's skull had it connected. In a display of agility, Naruto swiftly lowered his body, making the swing pass harmlessly overhead.

Naruto then cocked his fist. His hips tensed and in a well executed motion, he threw a devastating haymaker which solidly connected with the knight's steel-plated chest. Logic dictated that a bare fist meeting with solid steel at this speed would at the very least damage the boy's fist, maybe break a few bones. Yet, logic seemed not to apply at this particular moment since not only did Naruto's fist manage to dent the knight's armor, it also jarred Ser Bear's entire body, sending him crashing a few paces away from the ring.

Silence fell like a blanket on the watching crowd for a few second. It was broken by awkward clapping followed by cheers and shouts of disbelief. Many watchers grumbled, having lost their hard-earned money in a few seconds. Garlan earnestly collected his winnings and stroked the coins reverently. The poor orphan had never seen so much gold coins in one place, much less owned such a sum.

Ser Bear quickly regained his bearings and shook his head, watching Naruto incredulously. Unexpectedly his shoulders heaved with laughter as the knight openly guffawed. "I'll be damned if I expected it!" He said once his mirth was under control, "for such a scrawny brat, you sure pack a punch. My name's Arthus Mormont. What's yours, pipsqueak?"

"I'm Naruto, Ser Bear. It's quite a peculiar name, I'm sure you won't forget it,"

"Naruto aye? I'll be sure to remember it; I'm sure you're going to be a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield,"

Naruto smirked. Of course he intended to make a name for himself and mayhap get rich in the process, if the gods were kind. The next battle would be a great opportunity to prove his mettle.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent getting acquainted with the various knights of the different houses taking part in the rebellion. After a night of drinking and singing bawdy ballads, they slept with full bellies, content smiles on their faces.

Naruto cringed as he saw the Willem's mangled corpse. Half of his face had been crushed by something heavy, perhaps a warhammer, spilling brain on the side of the road. Looks like it's Willem's luck that had turned rotten.

Moving on, he secured his grip on his sword. The battle was raging around him, blows were being traded, steel clashing with steel, swords rending flesh, corpses falling in boneless heaps on the ground.

Naruto picked up his pace, jogging then full-on running like the wind. He drove his sword in the gut of a knight from house Tyrell. The unsuspecting man grunted once then fell to his knees. Tearing the blade from the wounded knight, Naruto carried on, not bothering to finish off the downed man. He located an old stone bridge which seemed like a key passage point between the two banks of a thick part of the Trident. It was still possible to cross the water in-between but it was not easy; the current was strong and with the heavy armors the knights wore, it was impossible to swim.

He marched to one side of the bridge, waiting for the enemy troops to try to cross it. Not long thereafter, a squad of perhaps thirty heavily armored knights ran with impressive speed. With a swift swing of his sword, Naruto beheaded the first knight to reach him, making the others recoil in surprise. Thankfully, full plate armor was quite expensive so most knights' armors had gaps in the neck, armpits and groin. Naruto took full advantage of it, driving his sword in another knight's neck. He watched the man twitch once, twice, then go still.

A few more knight fell by the blonde's blade. A few knights became afraid and began to step back. The others, being cautious, decided to stay a respectable distance away while trying to figure a way to slay to boy. It was simply inconceivable that a boy barely fifteen could cut down seasoned knights like they were mere amateurs.

"Fools, what is taking so long?" The commander thundered, seeing that his knights were not moving.

"My Lord, we encountered enemy resistance. He is quite skilled and has felled a dozen of our men,"

The commander looked toward the other end of the bridge and sneered when he saw the corpses around the blonde.

"Cowards, twenty men cower before one child? Ha! Let me through, I'll deal with him personally," he pushed the knights in front of him away and stepped forth, the other knights getting out of his way when they saw the irate man coming.

Once he stood a few feet away from the blonde, the commander removed his helmet, revealing a pair of piercing grey eyes, a well-groomed mustached and curly brown hair. "You have come far for such a little boy, howbeit your streak of luck ends now. I'll be courteous and give you the chance to surrender. Refuse and be slaughtered,"

Naruto simply chuckled and swiped his sword, sending droplets of blood flying at the commander. "Do the dead always speak so much?" he asked amusedly, getting ready to slay yet another foe.

"Very well," the knight replied, putting his helmet back on. He got into a standard fencing stance, his sword held expertly in his hands. He may not seem like much, but he had already won a melee in Harrenhal a few years back. He had been taught by great swordsmen who left their name in legends. He was not about to be defeated by a brat who looked like he would topple over if you pushed him too hard.

He was met with fierce resistance and his sword clashed a few times with the blonde's in an impressive display of fencing skills. The knight was becoming aggravated by the second as his thrusts were parried effortlessly by the boy. The boy returned the aggression with fervor, ruthlessly striking the weak points of his armored body, the joints. A particularly strong thrust from the blonde's sword pierced his thigh, making the knight clench his teeth hard to keep from crying out in pain. For the briefest of instants, fear coiled in him, strangling him like a python. Then a potent rage got the better of him and he lashed out with desperation. The longest this battle lasted, the closer he got to death's door.

Naruto didn't expect the burst of strength behind the blow, and his own sword ended up digging into his shoulder as he tried to keep the other's sword at bay. He gulped uneasily. This could very well be the end of him if he wasn't careful. He shifted his grip on his sword, making the knight's weapon slide off his blade harmlessly and retaliated with a swing that cut the tendon in the commander's right shoulder, weakening the knight's arm enough that his sword fell, clattering uselessly on the bridge.

The commander seemed resigned to his fate, and straight as an arrow he stood, awaiting the blow that would claim his life. To his utter amazement, Naruto held his sword vertically and leaned his weight on it, watching with bored eyes the proceedings.

"Are you not going to pick up your sword? I'm waiting,"

The knight was flabbergasted and took a few seconds to gather his wit enough to answer coherently, "My dominant arm is grievously wounded, and I wouldn't be a match with my much weaker left arm. Why are you sparing me?" He asked shrewdly.

"There's not much honor in slaying an unarmed foe," Naruto replied simply, as if it was obvious.

The knight looked at him incredulously, then barked a laugh. Once his mirth was under control, he said, "It's the first time I've seen a commoner being more chivalrous than a knight, on a battlefield no less!"

"Indeed, men of such caliber are seldom seen nowadays," A new voice cut in sharply. Gasps were heard from the gathered knights as they beheld none other than Barristan Selmy, standing casually off the side of the bridge, looking regal in his spotless grey armor, covered by a surcoat bearing House Selmy's sigil. He was tall and his graying hair belied the strength and vigor the man possessed. His kind blue eyes watched attentively the scene before him, drinking in the blonde's details, from his stance to the way he subtly shifted his weight to get in a more comfortable position, better suited to counter an assault. Approval shined in the old knight's wizened eyes.

Barristan the Bold, as he was called, unsheathed his sword and unhurriedly made his way toward the blonde, watching as the boy tensed and changed his stance. He was obviously more than ready to cross swords with the seasoned warrior.

They sized each other up, looking for any flaw in the opponent's stance, any hole they could exploit. They were few in between and well guarded. Barristan extended his right foot forward as far as possible, lunging toward Naruto and engaging him with a stab. Naruto evaded his opponent's thrust by dropping his body beneath the knight's sword, placing his free hand on the ground for support, then straightened his sword arm, attempting to stab Ser Barristan in the joint between his arm and shoulder, like he did earlier with the commander.

The older man parried the blow effortlessly with the plated back of his free hand, pushing the blade away. Ser Barristan then executed a flawless remise; a short series of attack dealt without withdrawing his weapon arm between the blows. Naruto was hard pressed to dodge, preferring to parry the slashes when he could. The great strength behind the blows made his weapon arm throb with effort though and soon enough gashes deeper and deeper lined his arms and ribs.

To his defense, Naruto was holding his own exceptionally well against the vicious attacks delivered by the legendary knight. He even managed to graze knight's neck with a well-placed feint followed by a flunge. However, the difference in experience was overwhelming. After a few more blows traded between the two swordsmen, Naruto bent the knee after a particularly hard slash from the gray-haired man made him lose his equilibrium. Ser Barristan's sword rested against the boy's neck. It was over. Naruto had fought bravely. Naruto has fought honorably. And Naruto was going to die. The straw-haired boy closed his eyes, awaiting his final moments with bated breath.

A horn blew in the background, followed by an anguished cry, "Prince Rhaegar has fallen! Fall back!"

The sword left Naruto's neck, making the blonde open his eyes, an unasked question burning his lips.

"I have no quarrel with you, boy. This battle has no more meaning. I do not partake in meaningless slaughter," Gallant like always, Ser Barristan was.

The knight sheathed his blade and made to leave. Before exiting the premises he asked one parting question, "I would like to know the name of the one who fought so fiercely against me,"

"Naruto. My name's Naruto,"

"I'm sure we will meet again someday. Farewell," And with that, the graying knight, a legend hailed by many as one of the strongest knights to have ever lived left the battlefield.

This was the first encounter Naruto had with Barristan the Bold, and while he had been thoroughly crushed by the older man, he swore that he would become better. He would become good enough to stand amongst the likes of Ser Barristan.

This day would mark the beginning of the legend of Naruto.

That night, Naruto had the strangest of dreams. He stood in a field of pale blue grass, bathed in fire and shadows. Corpses littered the ground, puddle of blood soaking the soil. Uncannily, he carried on, unbothered by the blood soaking his bare feet. He saw a regal figure sitting on a mound of piled up corpses.

He could tell that it was a man, albeit the figure could pass as a woman. He was lithe with long flowing red hair dancing in the wind. He was naked, proudly displaying defined muscles. He laughed, and somehow it sounded malevolent and cruel. He brought his hand to his mouth and greedily drank the blood that drenched his digits.

When he saw Naruto coming, he stood up and gracefully climbed down the mound. He came hither, and as he did, Naruto could see the piercing red eyes he possessed, alight with a thousand emotions.

"So you have come," His voice has an ethereal quality which made Naruto shiver.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked, thoroughly beguiled by the man's entrancing presence.

"I think you already know the answer to this question. Think hard, Naruto, we have already spent much time together,"

Naruto was about to say that he hadn't even met him before today, but he refrained to do so since he figured the man had little patience.

"What did you bring me here for?" He looked around, seeing nothing other than fire and desolation.

"I want you to come find me," the red-head replied easily.

Naruto wanted to protest that he had already found him! What was the meaning of this?

"How can I find you?" Desperation was creeping in his voice.

The man simply chuckled, as if amused by the blonde's antics, "You already have all the clues. Now begone. You have slept long enough,"

With that, Naruto was jolted back to reality. His head was throbbing and a fire burned in his gut, something that was familiar although Naruto could not figure out why that was.

Naruto ignored his dream, after all it was all it was, right? An illusion. He groaned as he got up, stretching his abused muscles.

Today would be a long day. The rebels would march toward King's Landing, wanting to claim the capital for themselves.

Naruto couldn't wait.

So that's it for the first installment of By hook or by crook. If you could leave a review to tell me what I did wrong / right, I would be overjoyed. I always appreciate constructive criticism.

Until we meet again,

PurpleDraught