AC 294
It had been three years since; the monster took her from flea bottom and tossed her in his forge. With a snap of his fingers fires as hot as dragon fire lit and she was taught the ways of blacksmithing Valyrian Steel. The monster was the only one capable of standing near the forge. She was certain any normal human would have burned to death in moments. The monster her captor was Jackus Baratheon the crown prince of the seven kingdoms.
She lifted the heavy hammer and beat at a stubborn piece of steel. Anna beat it like it was Jackus's hideous face. The prince wasn't like any man she had ever met. Once look at her scrawny body and he put her on four eggs and ham for breakfast, a hardy fish dinner for lunch, and a vegie rich meal for dinner. She ate better than a hundred families in flea bottom, but it still pissed her off.
Every day she bathed in the monster's fiery magic. A bell chimed and she knew it was time to eat. She quenched her work and leapt in the flames. It was a little ritual she did every day. The flames cleaned her body in ways water couldn't. She invited them in her cooch and her brown holed to ensure her body was at its cleanest. Her sweat evaporated as the flames liked over her body cleansing her. Once she was sure all the day's work was stepped out of the forge room and walked through the hall filled with dragon skulls.
She found the blue robe she often wore and covered herself up. It was chilly down in the catacombs. Jackus was supposed to meet her but he was late. She looked over to see a barrel full of massive arrows. Custom made just for her Lord. A small smile crept over her face. As she heard his talons clack against the stone floor. It had taken three years to train her ears enough to hear him move.
Four powerful arms wrapped around her before scooping her up. "My lady did you miss me?" Jackus asked her.
"No, why would I miss such a horrible monster." Anna said as she wrapped her arms around his chest. A pleasant kiss met her forehead before she turned her head to the side. Jackus walked towards the barrel and lifted it like a child might a pebble. She watched as his arms lifted it slowly. His arms were wide and bulging with muscle. His back was wide and muscular. A smile spread across her face when seeing his massive tail. It was larger around than a dinner plate. The spear at the end had grown longer and it looked deadly.
She placed a hand on a spot beneath his throat where the dragon egg remained. "Have I not shown my loyalty for the past three years." The look in his eyes told her everything. The egg didn't matter to him it was only a game to keep her here.
"I've begun studying rituals to hatch the egg. I've been given the lands of Castamere by my grandfather. My uncle Tyrion will assist in teaching me how to run the lands. Aren't you excited, I'll get to turn a ruined castle into a truly grand estate?" Jackus said with excitement she didn't feel.
"Why is this a good thing? Most would consider it an insult." Anna said. Jackus smiled at her like nothing would stop him. She admired and hated him for it. It was the force of will of a king on the small folk AKA her. Then again, a bit of distance from the queen and her glares wasn't a bad thing.
"Tyrion will meet us on the way. I think at a brothel somewhere near the settlement." Jackus said.
She sighed and nodded her head. It was better to go along with him than put up a fuss over nothing.
"You can always reconsider boy. Castamere is a ruin you'll have your work cut out for you and precious little funds to carry out your will. I can send you a few landless knights but not many want to move to Castamere." His father said.
"I will make it bigger stronger and more lucrative than the former owners ever dreamed. Tell grandfather to expect plenty of revenue from us." His mother sighed at his words and looked at him with a mix of worry and annoyance.
"Are you in that much of a hurry to get away from your family? Has growing up a prince been that hard on you?" Cercie asked. Jack chuckled and hugged his mother. Before grabbing Myrcella and Tommen into hugs. He stared at Joffrey. Joffrey never really liked him. Jack may have scared him a few times when he was little with too much peekaboo. He was terrified of Jack until Hound became Joffrey's body guard. Then Joffrey tried attacking him with a sword every chance he got.
"We've been jerks to each other but let's depart as brothers." Jack said and held out his hand.
"Don't scare the peasants too bad Jackus." Joffrey said and tried to smile. But it turned into a smirk.
"That will do." Jack said and nodded. He hugged uncle Jaime and returned to his father. Ever since the fishing trip his father cut back on the boos and whores, but Jack didn't know if he would relapse with him gone or not. "I'll write you father and don't be afraid to visit." Jack said.
"Boy I will you don't have to worry about that." His father said and then he mounted his horse and departed with a small gathering of body guards and a wagon of gold, food, and supplies.
Jack left the city along with his guards and Anna. "My lord wouldn't it have been easier to sail to Castamere. I don't mean to be too forward, but it will take months to reach our destination." The guard captain said.
"This is a recruitment drive. That's why we have you shiny guardsmen. We want our little caravan to be as gaudy as possible to attract bandits." Ranger captain Ventus said. Jack looked to the man who he found in the black cells. He was destined for the wall before Jack stepped in. For the first time there was a third choice. Execution, the wall, or become a Westeros Ranger. Jackus trained the man himself.
His rangers were always given an out during training. At any time, they can quit and go to the wall. He had them trained by a Dothraki exile to ride and fight. They were conditioned to move in heavy gear, mark targets, communicate silently, and most importantly to work together or alone. His men were adaptable and excellent shots. They wore light plate armor in places mixed with some chainmail to cover the points of separation. He armed them with long bows with Valyrian steel arrows. This was to be their test. Would they pass or fail?
As an incentive, he allowed them to marry and have children so long as it didn't interfere with their duties. They would be paid a salary that his father claimed was a fair wage. Anna thought it was too much. He met them in the middle.
It wasn't until the fourth day when the first bandit attack happens. His guardsmen withdrew their swords and raised crossbows, but they were surrounded. The bandits charged only to be shot down by charging rangers. The rangers managed to kill the bandits before they met the guards in the fight. The rest were soon surrounded.
Jack got off his horse. An approached the remaining bandits. They were mostly young men probably incapable of finding a farm or perhaps they thought they wouldn't get caught. There was desperation in their eyes.
"You have three choices. Die right here right now, the wall, or join the rangers. Choose swiftly we have little time to wait." Jack said. In the end only 20 of their number chose to join the rangers, the rest chose the wall. Five of his rangers bound the five and they left to turn them in to the nearest lord. Jack looked over the 20.
"You can choose to quit at any time. If you do, you will be taken off to the wall on the spot no questions asked. But if you persevere and manage to make it as a ranger. You will have coin, women, and adventure." Jack said. The stared at him unable to see his eyes behind his hood.
Unfortunately, the new recruits slowed their progress down. This allowed more bandits to catch up and more recruits which slowed them down more. It went along for a while. Some days they stopped for the day and his rangers would drill their new recruits into the ground. Some would quit and they were carted off to the nearest lord to be taken to the wall. On and on it went until the men they captured started showing signs of becoming rangers. Those that remained didn't quit.
The recruits that showed promise were given more freedom. With greater freedom some showed promise while others slacked off or attempted to leave only to be taken to the wall. Chances for betrayal were presented to test the recruits and slowly future rangers were discovered. The grain was cut from the chaff.
When they started teaching the new recruits how to ride Jack knew their training was nearing completion. The indoctrination techniques were reaching their final stage and the bandits he picked up weeks ago were now becoming rangers. That's how it went. When they reached a new town, they bought gear, horses, and more feed for the horses. When they crossed into the town where his uncle waited for him his rangers numbered in the 310s over half their previous number.
He walked into the nearest tavern to see a blonde-haired dwarf sitting around drinking. "Hello uncle its good to see you again." Jack said.
"Oh, nephew I'm so glad you're hear. If I had to have the same whore for a 30th night I might beat my own brains out." Tyrion said.
"What's wrong uncle is she chatty or is she one of those glowering types?" Jack asked.
"The glowering one. Oh, excuse me who is that beautiful silver haired young lady with you?" Tyrion said and held out a hand. Anna took it before curtsying.
"Lord Tyrion my name is Anna I'm a personal servant to Prince Jackus." Anna said gently.
"My god uncle, I believe she's smitten with you. You speak less than a sentence to her and you already have her ready to go to the alter." Jackus said.
"I know you mean it in good fun nephew but don't embarrass the girl. Its rude and unbecoming of a prince." Tyrion said.
"Yes uncle, I'm so used to our mean-spirited banter that I was carried away. This is Anna my servant, confident, and true friend." Jack said. Tyrion held his cup up and smiled.
"Good to meet you Anna and better to know who you are to my nephew. I'm glad he has a friend with him. There are few who can be a true friend to a noble much less a prince. We have too many eyes on us lets go to my room and discuss the destination of our journey." Tyrion said.
With Anna's hand in his they followed his uncle up the stairs and to a comfortable room. "Do you know why your grandfather gave you Castamere and the lands surrounding it?" Tyrion asked.
"To get me out of the way, so Joffrey can be named king if something were to happen to my father." Jack said.
"Jackus you are correct though you need not fear for your father yet. Joffrey is still too young to take the crown. My sister doesn't want to take the crown from you, but my father has convinced her a place far away from the capitol is better for you. Out of site out of mind for the seven kingdoms." Tyrion met his eyes. "I'm surprised you went along with it."
"What are you talking about? Granting me freedom to do as I will was the worse thing they could have done if they wanted to get rid of me. Castamere is rich in mines even if they have been mostly mined out by my grandfather. There are techniques that will allow much deeper mining. But mining gold isn't the only way to make it rich. Have you heard of a steam engine uncle?" Jack said as he took out a small set of tracks and started placing them around the room.
"No, I can't say I've ever heard of a steam engine." Tyrion said. Jack nodded.
"This is a prototype built small to save on materials." Jack sat down the steam engine, the cars, and the caboose. He lit a match and tossed it in the little furnace within the engine. Once the coal dust caught fire the water heated up and released pressurized steam. The wheels began to turn, and the train moved on its own. This train had three settings low, medium, and high. The higher the settings the more pressurized the steam and the faster the train could move. He looked over at his uncle to see him marveling at the simple if accurate toy.
"A self-moving wagon. To transport materials to one end of the kingdom to the other on these tracks is revolutionary. It will speed everything up in the seven kingdoms. This could be a powerful invention." Tyrion said.
"Let grandfather have his gold I'll tax it out of him for using my trains. What we need to do is find out who has the most coal and form a contract with them. One that will keep them from raising their prices when they learn we need a lot of it. Then we need to contact uncle Stannis in dragon stone about the possibility of self-propelled ships without sails. Perhaps made with steel instead of wood." Jack said.
"If you do this then the seven kingdoms will never be the same again. Traveling will never be easier. Hop on a train and go from kings landing to the wall perhaps in days instead of weeks. We will need to stabilize your new realm before we begin. There is the need to contact other lords and get permission to put these tracks on their land. It will be difficult, but the gold will be more than worth it." Tyrion said.
"Does this mean I'll have more forging to do?" Anna asked.
"Of course, you're special, I can rely on no other person to forge Valyrian steel in my stead.
Ann sighed and decided not to push the subject.
A tall woman with red hair stared deeply in the flames trying to discern the will of her lord. What she saw was a monster with three blue eyes draining a man until his cloths fell to the floor. In another vision she saw him leaping down from the red keep traveling dozens of feet with no injury. Then she saw him approach the church of the seven. It could only mean that he was against her lord. The seven have birthed a monster in the capitol the great other.
Even now she could feel his magic cold and calculating even in the summer season. She saw a purple eyed silver haired girl follow behind him and serve the monster. The binding of a dragon to the dark. Truly this was the enemy of all mankind.
"I don't believe you." Stannis said just after she explained her vision. "My nephew may look like a monster, but he is a Baratheon through and through. He cares for those around him like a prince should."
"All an act, to win you over. The most successful monsters are often the most cunning. Isn't it odd that he was born now of all times?" Melisandre said.
"I will not discuss this. Until he proves himself untrustworthy, I will not turn my back on my blood." Stannis said with finality. Melisandre bowed her head.
She knew of another vision in the flames of a silver haired girl across the sea the mother of dragons to be. If Stannis wouldn't see reason perhaps there was another who would.