Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Game of Thrones

The Song of Builders

By Jojobevco

Chapter 4

The North is Reminded

AN: Sorry for the delay, I had to get my computer fixed.

AN2: Appropriate musical accompaniment for the fights at the end of this chapter is "The Throne is Mine" from the Season 2 Soundtrack of Game of Thrones. Or for a more nonchalant experience, "The Pointy End" from Season 1, focusing on the backbeat.

The Walls of the Red Keep

King's Landing, Crownlands, Westeros

Lord Tyrion Lannister, Acting Hand of the 'King' and Senior Agent of the Builders arrived at the celebration of his twice-nephew Joffrey's nameday. He was at the head of a group of Lannister Guards and hill tribes As he arrived, he saw two members of the Kingsguard drag away the twitching body of Ser Dontos Hollard. Behind him, Podrick looked on in disgust, as Bronn chuckled.

Joffrey laughed at his joke, "He drunk his fill."

Tyrion approached the podium, "Beloved Nephew! We looked for you on the battlefield, but you were nowhere to be found."

'King' Joffrey stuttered, "I've been here, ruling the kingdoms."

"Yes, and tearing apart King's Landing looking for three lost wolves," Tyrion looked at Ser Dontos's body that had now stopped twitching, "And ending a house as old as the Age of Heroes." Tyrion then turned to the two younger children, "Myrcella, you will be more beautiful than your mother one day and Tommen, you're already taller than I am!"

Joffrey 'regally' remarked, "I am glad you came to celebrate my nameday."

"Enjoy it, nephew. I must go."

"To do what."

Overthrow you, Tyrion thought in his head, but instead answered, "This and that."

As they walked into the Red Keep, Podrick, mindful of the role he had to play, asked, "My lord, is the king always so…"

"Violent? Indeed, once he killed a pregnant kitchen cat in an effort to impress King Robert."

They arrived at the Small Council Chamber, Tyrion directed everyone to remain outside, and then entered, remarking to Podrick as he did, "This is going to be more fun than I've had in a long time."

The Godswood

Winterfell, The North, Westeros

Acting Lord of Winterfell, Bran Stark was taking his daily carry thought the Godswood, while talking to his loyal assistant, Osha.

"I heard some men talking about the comet. They say it is an omen."

Had Osha been a worse actress, she would have promptly face palmed. She, Harry, and a few others had been up most the night trying to figure out what the sudden appearance of a red comet means. While Astronomy in the Wizarding World was more advanced than even the 21st century muggle equivalent, they still had very little idea as a red colored comet had never been seen in Earth's history. So, they did a survey and found out that really no one had any idea what it meant. For those in the South, it meant that the Lannisters would win. For those in the North, it meant that the Starks would win. They decided to go with the one explanation that makes any sense, "A Red Comet means only one thing, dragons."

Daenerys Targaryen's Khalasar

Deep within the Red Waste, Essos

Daenerys Targeryen was somewhat frustrated. Her diminished, although not that diminished Khalasar was currently deep within the red waste, trapped. To the north were the Lazarheen, who would kill them and take her dragons. To the west were rival Khals that would kill her and take her dragons. That left only two directions, east and south. Daenerys dispatched Bloodriders in both directions and cursed Harry Potter for leaving her again. Even though he had given them extensive provisions, especially of water, it was still annoying. She had expected him to stick around, given that he had effectively bought her life and that of the entire Targaryen line.

Daenerys turned to the end of the line, Rheago, who slept on her arm as they rested in the shade provided by the hung cloths. She then turned to her dragons nearby. Unfortunately, she had no idea what to feed them, as they would only eat meat, but apparently not the meat she had on her. She asked Harry before he left, to which he just replied, "What are dragons famous for?" Daenerys continued to ponder.

Craster's Keep

North of the Wall, Westeros

Jeor Mormont had noted that Craster seems to have mellowed in his old age. He was almost polite to the Night's Watch, although kept reminding them about not talking to his daughters.

"Where have all the Wildings gone?"

Craster replied, "North, near the Fist of the First Men. They have joined together under Mance Rayder, your old friend."

Jeor snapped, "He's no friend of mine, he broke his vows, betrayed his brothers."

Craster chuckled, "His brothers, yes, them."

"Why now?"

Craster looked directly at Jon Snow, "Winter is Coming," He turned back to Mormont, "The Thenn have rallied."

"Why?"

Craster chuckled, "To march on The Wall."

"Why?"

Craster was serious, "This is one winter when no one wants to be North of the Wall."

Jeor sighed, "I take it that you are staying?"

Craster shook his head, "No, we will leave soon as well."

Jeor was surprised "But the Others," Of course, no one except Craster could hear the capitalization of 'Others.'

"We have broken with them, it was a mistake."

Jeor nodded, confused, he was expecting Craster to offer to let them stay the night, like he usually did. Except now, he did not.

Craster replied, "You should be going, Lord Crow."

Jeor nodded and his men prepared to go, he shook his head and sighed; they'd be grumbling all the way to the Fist because of this. He decided that they would take it slow the next couple of days to make up for it.

Fifty-Eight Minutes Later

Craster and his wives sat around the Keep, waiting.

Suddenly, they were interrupted by a woman entering, wearing 'Wildling' furs, and a 'Wildling-styled' sword that looked slightly off, of higher quality than it should be. The woman had extremely red hair, and when she spoke it was with textbook perfect Received Pronunciation.

"They are gone."

Craster nodded as his face bubbled and transformed back into Lord Harry Potter's. He turned first to the ladies surrounding him, "Ladies, I thank you for your assistance in this matter," He threw out a rope and instructed them, "Grab on." Craster's former wives smiled and did so, before Harry tapped his wand on the rope and they disappeared in the flash of a portkey.

Harry then turned back to the woman at the door. This was Colonel Ygritte, Commander of the Fist's Snow Fox Unit. Considered the elite of the Army of the Fist, the Snow Foxes served as the Builder's special operations force. Trained extensively in stealth, infiltration, mountaineering, rappelling, archery, swordsmanship (Braavosi and Westerosi), sabotage, unarmed combat, throwing weapons, horsemanship, swimming, geography, and interrogation resistance.

Their training was the most grueling in the world, even more grueling than the Unsullied in some ways. Their combat record was impeccable and, with the exception of a few Thenn engagements, completely classified.

"Ygritte, your forces?"

Ygritte was not surprised by her Supreme Commander's use of her first name. He was one of the Snow Foxes principal instructors, and her mentor, "For the moment, we are following the Ranging at a discreet distance."

"Once they get to the fist, track Jon Snow. If he leaves on a patrol, you know what to do, the spells on your clothes will make people second guess attacking your unit, but you'll have to do some fast talking to get out of it. Jon Snow is not to be harmed under any circumstances."

Ygritte nodded and grinned, this would be a challenging assignment, "And the other members of the Night's Watch?"

"Disable them and send them to the Fist, we'll sit on them until I formally introduce myself to their good Lord Commander."

Ygritte chuckled and formally asked, "Anything else, Lord Potter?"

"No, dismissed, Colonel."

Ygritte saluted and left.

Harry stood and waved his wand, packing up the remains of Craster's home. Craster had been dead for years, executed by the Builders for treason against humanity. His wives continued to live here, under the protection and support of the Fist's patrols. They were provided with the capability to signal for assistance whenever the Night's Watch came. Whenever they did, a Builder under polyjuice would come and play the role of Craster. However, it was now time for Craster to disappear for good. The Builders were too busy to keep up the charade.

After Harry shrunk down what was left of Craster and his wives' belongings he turned on his heel and returned home.

The Stark Host

Near Riverrun, The Riverlands, Westeros

Ned stepped out of his tent in the camp. Harry's portkey had conveniently dropped him off right outside the camp about a week ago, and the following week had been rather difficult. Tactically and strategically they were winning, however, they were rather stuck. They were an army with no goal or objective. The moment Ned returned he had quickly stamped out any notion of the whole "King in the North" bit. However, this left them with an army without an objective. Eventually, they had settled on pressing their advantage into the Westerlands and attempting to figure out the Baratheon issue. While Ned could not tell anyone, the situation was vastly complicated by what he knew from Essos. Given that the proper ruler was on the other side of the world, there was no one to support. Ned wished he could tell them about the dragons, the North remembered dragons.

As Ned was once again cursing the Game of Thrones, he arrived at his destination, Jamie Lannister's Cell.

"Hello, Ser Jamie."

Jamie chuckled, "Ah, Ned, how good of you to visit. I keep expecting you and your son to leave me in one castle or another for safekeeping, but you drag me along. Have you grown fond of me, Ned?"

"If we left you with one of our bannermen, your father would cajole them into releasing you through any means necessary."

Jamie snorted, "You don't trust them?"

Ned smiled, "I trust them with my life, just not with yours. Rest assured if I did not need you, you would already be dead, Kingslayer."

"Oh?"

"You have committed incest, you have created an abomination who now pretends to be king. This entire situation can be placed entirely on your and Cersei's shoulders."

Eddard turned and left, heading back for his Command Tent, where his officers are waiting with Ser Alton Lannister. He had settled on a list of demands the night before: return of the Stark Household dead, Joffrey and his men stay out of the north, and Joffrey, Tomnen, and Mrycella are admitted as Bastards. The final demand would ensure that they would not be met. After all, Harry's plan could be summed up in one word. Stall.

Chambers of the Hand of the 'King,' The Red Keep

King's Landing, Crownlands, Westeros

Lord Tyrion Lannister, Hand of the 'King,' and Senior Agent of the Builders was confused. So, he grabbed more wine, and sat in his chambers, watching Shae lookout upon King's Landing. His confusion had to do with an area he claimed expertise, women. In the past two weeks he had experienced differing kinds of relationships with two different women, two complicated relationships that he had no idea what to do about.

Lady Sansa Stark is, on the surface, a simple girl. Beautiful, but with the average experiences of a well raised high born girl on the cusp of adulthood. At the same time, she had an unspeakable level of guilt. Dozens of people died because of a decision she made, a decision that led her to the Builders. As a result, she had found a strength and intelligence that would otherwise be wasted. She was, Tyrion judged, a good woman.

Shae on the other hand was an enigma, wrapped in a mystery, wrapped in a riddle. The moment they had met, Tyrion was enamored. Perhaps it was the feeling of 'certain death' the next day, but there was something about her. When he returned to the Fist however, Tyrion was more thoughtful about the relationship. The more thoughtful he got, the more suspicious he was. So, he made a few inquiries, as would be natural for an unknown person so close to a critical operation. The conclusions the Fist's intelligence apparatus were more along the line of what she was not than what she was. They knew she was not one of Varys's, Baelish's or Cersei's. Agents in Essos had never heard of her, so no one really knew who she was.

Tyrion's own assessment of her was rather empty itself. He knew that she had been accustomed to pain, although he speculated it was some sort of intentional training, (no one could possibly handle hot wax so well). He knew her mother was not a prostitute and that her father was either dead or involved in her life, and that she was extremely protective of them. He had made the mistake of telling her about Tysha; although it did not seem to change how she reacted to him, it did seem to warm her slightly. She was very defensive of being called a whore, and had practically badgered him into taking her to King's Landing. For the foreseeable future, he would keep her far, far away from his builder responsibilities.

The Stark Host

Near Riverrun, The Riverlands, Westeros

Ned exited the tent again after giving Alton Lannister their demands, and after quickly dismissing the prospects of an alliance with either the Greyjoys or the Baratheons. However, he was stopped by a young woman.

"My Lord."

Ned turned around and was faced with a young, exotic, intelligent beauty, "My Lady, I'm sure one of my other officers can-" Ned stopped as he saw her holding out a simple leather billfold. He saw on the front a symbol of a phoenix on a fist embossed into the leather, he reached out, took it, and opened it. He was faced with a badge made of gold, similar to the badge he wore as Hand of the King, but instead, it was a symbol of a phoenix in flight, with the words "Serving those who Build" beneath it. The other side of the billfold was a piece of parchment, which was apparently impervious to damage.

"This badge certifies Lady Talisa Maegyr as an Agent of the Builders of the Wall. All True Allies, Agents, Forces, Subsidiaries, and Subjects of the Builders are requested and required to provide any aid and assistance requested.

"Signed, Harry of House Potter, Commander of the Builders, Lord of the Fist, Ruler of the Lands Beyond the Wall."

Ned handed the billfold back to the Agent and replied, "How can I help you, Lady Mageyr?"

"Lord Harry would like for you to send an envoy to Renly Baratheon, Lord Harry suggests sending Robb. Allegedly this is to form an alliance, however, in reality, it is because we have no idea what the Baratheons are doing and we need eyes there, also we need to know why Renly declared for himself and not Stannis."

Eddard nodded, "I do not lying but it is intelligence we need as well. Very well, I will send you and Robb."

"Me? Lord Stark, I have been assigned to be your liaison within this camp."

Ned nodded, "Robb is much too honorable for this and he would have no idea what to look for."

Talisa nodded, "Very well."

"Oh, and one more thing, as far as Robb knows, Lord Harry is the only surviving member of an old House far to the North, and an 'old friend of the family.' Do not disabuse him of that notion."

Talisa nodded, expecting this "You are the Keeper of the Relationship, it is appropriate."

Ned then bowed slightly, "Safe travels, my Lady." He turned and started the walk back to his tent.

Secret Solar of the Builders of the Wall, The Red Keep

King's Landing, Crownlands, Westeros

"Now the next vintage up is actually one of your Mother's, House Tully's Riverland White, it's a blend of several whites, supposedly to make it a bit less crisp and a bit more palatable with a meal."

Sansa took a slow sip, swallowed and nodded. Currently she was sitting in the luxurious solar of the Builders of the Wall in King's Landing. Hidden behind some sort of enchantments, it provided a variety of services to the Agents in the city. She was accompanied by Tyrion Lannister, who was educating her on the finer points of wine, and Captain Karsi, her new unarmed combat instructor. Unlike the many soldiers at the fist who wore uniforms of either plate or some of the finest, crispest clothes she had ever seen, Karsi wore very, vague attire that would allow her to fit in practically anywhere in King's Landing. The only strange difference was a small snow fox sewn on to the arm of her shirt. Karsi was here technically as a guard, but also as a chaperone, something that seemed to amuse Tyrion to no end.

"Now the next vintage from House Tully is a bit fishy."

Sansa nodded, the joke going completely over her depressed head.

Tyrion's next try at making the lady laugh was stopped by the door banging open, causing Captain Karsi to reach for her sword. In stepped Podrick Payne.

"Lord Tyrion, Lady Sansa, Captain Karsi, we have a problem, the City Watch has started killing all the black haired bastards in the city."

Sansa gasped, Karsi's eyes hardened, and Tyrion's startled.

"Someone is purging Robert's Bastards! Pod, you and Captain Karsi get to Littlefinger's Brothel now and back up the Agent there, now!"

They both nodded and ran out the door, into the labyrinth of secret passages throughout the Red Keep and King's Landing.

Tyrion went to the desk, wrote a quick note and handed it to Sansa before shoving her toward the fireplace, "Return to the Fist and give that note to Lord Harry."

Sansa nodded, gave Tyrion a last look before entering the fireplace, grabbing a handful of powder and throwing it, shouting, "The Fist!"

She disappeared in a flash of green flame.

Lord Peter Baelish's Brothel

King's Landing, Crownlands, Westeros

Ros, high priced prostitute, brothel matron, and Agent of the Builders saw the Gold Cloaks coming. She ran toward Mhaegen's room and threw open the door, startling her.

"Ros?"

Ros shook her head, "There's no time. The Gold Cloaks are here for Barra." She pulled off her necklace and handed it to Mhaegan as she picked up Barra and pressed her into Mhaegan's arms.

"Now say, 'I Serve the Builders.'"

Mhaegan asked, confused, "I serve the builders?" before disappearing in a flash.

Ros checked the position of her knife under her robe. She may not be able to take all of them, but they wouldn't take her alive. She calmly walked back out into the main room and greeted Janos Slynt.

"Lord Commander, good to see you again." Ros watched as they started banging through the brothel, "You do realize this establishment is owned by Lord Petyr Baelish, the King's Master of Coin. Coins which go in many pockets."

Slynt curtly replied, "Orders"

"Who's orders?"

"Someone who doesn't care what Littlefinger thinks?

A Gold Cloak returned and reported, "She isn't here."

Slynt turned to Ros, "Where is she?"

Ros asked,"Where is who?"

Slynt roared, "The whore with the bastard."

Ros slowly replied, "Can you be more specific, we have a lot of those."

Slynt backhanded her to the ground. Ros rolled with it, moving to all fours as Slynt moved in, replying, "You know who I'm talking about."

Ros replied, "No, I don't." That particular response earned her a kick in the stomach. Ros hammed it up a bit, collapsing to the floor and breathing heavily.

Just as Slynt opened his mouth again, he started gurgling and spitting up blood. He collapsed to the floor to reveal Podrick Payne standing behind him. Podrick turned his sword right stabbing the Gold Cloak to the right while drawing a dagger and stabbing the one on his left. Their shouts drew another three out of one of the Brothel's rooms they had been searching, he spun to face them and charged parrying their swords and spears with smooth strokes as he disabled one with a stab to the back, killed the second with a near decapitation, and the disabled the third with a stab to the shoulder. Podrick calmly slit the throats of the two he had disabled. He then spun and faced the other room as Karsi came out, calmly wiping her blade.

"That's all of them."

Podrick chuckled and helped Ros to her feet, asking, "Barra?"

Ros rubbed her stomach as she answered, "Safely back at the Fist with her mother. I had to use my emergency escape portkey though."

Podrick nodded, "I'll see to it that you get a new one."

Karsi scoffed, "I hate to state the obvious, but we just killed the Lord Commander of the City Watch while he was carrying out the orders of either the King or the Queen Regent. This isn't going to blow over."

Podrick rubbed his chin, "No, it's not, but we're going to turn it to our advantage." He took on a noble, somber countenance, "These loyal members of the City Watch were killed by free riders in service to Lord Petyr Baelish in defense of his property." Podrick then smirked, "And this is how we're going to do it…"

Daenerys Targaryen's Khalasar

Deep within the Red Waste, Essos

Dany's eyes widened, before turning to Irri, "Start a fire, and grill some meat for the dragons."

Irri nodded and left Dany with her thoughts. Harry's riddle had been such an easy puzzle once she had solved it. How could she rule if she couldn't solve a simple riddle?

Sword Practice Room

The Fist of the First Men

North of the Wall, Westeros

The swords clashed with a mighty THWACK! Harry sent General Tormund Giantsbane reeling before turning back to Arya as Tormund rallied and came back in, Harry retreated slightly to get both of them in his view. As Arya came at him he beat her back and used his sword to spin her around, 'killing her' and shoving her into the direction of Tormund, who pushes her aside and charges Harry in a furious flurry of blows. Harry, in turn absentmindedly parries them before catching Tormund off guard with a strike to his knee, sending him tumbling and gently presses the wooden sword against Tormund's neck.

"And, dead." Harry waves his right hand and seems to be looking at something neither Arya nor Tormund could see. "Two and a half minutes. Not bad, but not good either." With over 7,938 years of experience on them, they couldn't hope to defeat Harry in single or even dual combat. So their success was counted in how long they survived.

General Giantsbane, Deputy Commander of the Army of the Fist scoffed and looked at his partner. The Three-Star was decidedly not impressed. Although he had to hand it to her, she had a lot of raw talent in the field of Water Dancing.

Arya scoffed right back, "I've been learning for less than a year, so don't look at me like that."

Harry was about to launch into his evaluation of the fight when they were suddenly interrupted by a soldier running into the room, "Lord Harry, apologies, my lord, but Lady Sansa has returned with an urgent dispatch for you from King's Landing."

Harry quickly looked at the girl and the General and said, "follow me," before breaking into a brisk jog to the Arrival Room.

The Arrival Room was the only room in the fist that allowed direct access to Non-Builders. Inside were three fireplaces and four portkey landing areas. It was staffed around the clock by six guards (which had been upped to eight since Harry had put the Fist on war footing) and a medical team to assist arriving agents. As Harry entered the guards snapped to attention while the medical team was busy dealing with a hysterical mother and child. Harry glanced over and noted it was Barra and her mother. He then turned to Sansa, who simply handed him the note

Lord Harry,

Joffrey or Cersei are purging Robert's Bastards within the city. I've sent Captain Karsi and Pod to render assistance at Littlefinger's. It is likely that they will discover Gendry and send the City Watch after him. Suggest you move Gendry to the Fist immediately.

Best,

Tyrion

Harry looked at the medical team, and directed them, "Escort Barra and her mother to the medical wing and see to them." The medical team nodded and left, escorting a now shell-shocked Mhaegan. Harry then turned back to Sansa, "Sansa, you will return to King's Landing, I'm assigning you and Captain Karsi there until further notice to support Tyrion and Pod." He then walked over to a nearby table and scribbled a quick note to Tyrion, handed it to Sansa and directed her over to the closest Fireplace where she disappeared in a flash. Harry then looked to Tormund, "General Giantsbane, I will be leaving, you will have the command of the Fist until I return." Giantsbane nodded and gave a short bow.

Finally, he turned to Arya, "Arya, how would you like some practical field experience?"

Arya smiled slightly and replied, "Sounds interesting."

AN:

Why did you cut most of the Craster's Keep Arc?

I needed Harry elsewhere. Jeor's slowing down balances the timeline.

Subsidiaries?

Now that would be telling.

Podrick is really too good at fighting.

No, he's not, besides, I remind you of the advantages of Water Dancing. Syrio Forel beat four of the Lannister's top guards and held off a member of the Kingsguard (albeit Meryn Trant) with a wooden practice sword.