284 AC
Sunspear, Dorne
Doran sat in the receiving room awaiting people he had not expected, people he did not wish to see. They should not have come to Dorne so soon after the rebellion.
However he could not turn these people away as they were of use to Dorne. If anyone found out what he was hiding… well another war would begin and Dorne was not in a position to go to war at this time.
As the door opened he shot a quelling look at Oberyn who stood at his side and the Potter Black brothers were showed in.
"Prince Doran" they greeted in tandem and gave a slight bow of the head "Prince Oberyn"
Doran had hoped they would decide to live in Dorne, but he could not fault them for settling in the North, the lands they were given were as large as the Westerlands.
The gold and trade they would bring in would have given him great leverage within Westeros and also Essos. Glass was a commodity that only Myr could provide… well now they had competition.
He had also heard of their skill in battle, and knew it would not be long before bards sang songs of their adventures.
But the thing that hurt more than anything else was the lost chance to have ties with the faceless men. They had not spoken of their family when they were in Dorne.
They had skilfully avoided all mention of family, their lineage, thier blasted connections.
At the time he thought of them as merchants. Wealthy merchants but merchants all the same.
Dorne could have had such advantages, if he had known he would have offered them better lands, a marriage contract could have been drawn up for the youngest brother with one of Oberyn's bastards. The youngest had gotten along with Obara. All lost opportunities now.
He could have been one of the most feared Lords in Westeros.
"Welcome to Sunspear My Lords." he greeted them as they were seated and had been served wine and food by the servants.
"Why have you come here? You chose your side when you fought with Baratheon and thus against Dorne." spat Oberyn and looked directly at Sirius "I thought you were friends of Dorne; but I was wrong Lord Sirius."
Doran gave an internal sigh, he had asked his brother to hold his tongue when they had been informed who had docked at the harbour. Oberyn would never be able to play the game at this rate. He could not alienate these men, so he held up a hand and Oberyn settled for just glaring at the two.
"Please forgive my brother his harsh words My Lords. However you must know Dorne is angry at what has happened in King's Landing. My sister and her children are missing. The King is a known child torturer and killer, who claims to have no knowledge of their whereabouts - so he could be lying to forego more trouble. We are very worried for my sister the Princess Elia and her children."
But before he could continue to spin his tale, the brothers looked at each other and Harry nodded at Sirius.
"Prince Doran, We understand that you must think of your family first and we completely agree with that. But there is something we must ask you." Sirius addressed him and waited for Doran to reply.
Doran gave a nod back to the man "We are very surprised to hear that your sister has not made her way back to you. Especially since the ship she boarded was one of ours."
Silence reigned in the large room, Doran was at a loss of how to answer this query. He could not kill these two, not right away. Everyone knew they were heading this way, they had sailed from Braavos and docked at King's Landing to resupply before coming to Dorne.
They must have informed the King that they were on their way to Dorne, even if they had not - there were 6 ships filled with men who knew they were here… then there was the youngest brother.. He had not made his way to the Sun Tower, was he still on the ship, or was he waiting somewhere in the castle grounds?
Did they inform Robert Baratheon of where Elia was? Was he coming to war at this very moment? Would he need to muster what little strength he had left to fight a war yet again?
While these thoughts were going through his mind Sirius addressed Oberyn.
"Prince Oberyn, we are friends, at least I still call you a friend. But I now have a liege lord whose family was wronged. Even if that were not the case, he would have had my help." as Oberyn looked like he was going to argue back; Sirius held up a hand "If your sister was kidnapped and raped would you not wish for help… there are some things that are not to be borne and this - was one of them. I will not apologize for bringing down a mad king and a rapist prince."
Oberyn was confused at the turn of events, he had thought that they had betrayed him and his family. Now they claim to have helped his sister and her children flee from King's Landing.
On one hand, it was true that they had fought against Dorne but on the other hand had Lady Lyanna been his sister he would have done the same as Eddard Stark.
And his sweet sister, while she lived and was healthy - there was a part of her that had died with her son.
She had warned him of the fate that would befall young Lady Lyanna, and how right she was! If it was Elia who was kidnapped then he too would have rode to war.
"Prince Doran, we know that your sister has arrived safely in Sunspear. How do I know this? As my brother told you, the ship she boarded to flee the capital was one of our's.
The captain came to us and asked us if he should take her home.
It is not very difficult to root out a noblewoman with two small children."
"The ship she left on, finally arrived at Braavos - Captain Soler met us and informed us that the package had been delivered safe and sound. We also know that your nephew died on the ship. You have our deepest condolences."
"Why would we lie Lord Potter Black?" Doran did not want to admit to anything.
Sirius let out a bark like laugh "Prince Doran, we do not care whether you want to lie to us or not. We helped your sister because neither she nor her children deserved to be held captive. Hells, she would have died just like the young Prince Viserys if we had not instructed Captain Soler to keep her hidden and deliver her to you." the man just shook his head.
Harry and Sirius stood and gave the two men a small bow "We will put your mind at ease nonetheless Prince Doran. We have not, nor will we be telling anyone about the delivery.."
Elia had indeed come home, but she was a changed woman.
When she had agreed to marry Rhaegar, Elia wanted nothing more than to find love.
But the years of her marriage had embittered her, then all she wanted to was see her son as the King. Now; now she had changed again.
Now, she wanted to forget all about her life in King's Landing. She was scared, paranoid and clung to her daughter with both hands. The trip had not been easy on the young ones.
The greatest tragedy was that young Aegon had fallen gravely ill on the journey.
He had lasted mere days on the ship before his small body had given up on life.
She had kept little Aegon's body for a week after his death in her rooms.
The captain had to tear her away from the corpse of the babe so that he could put him in a makeshift coffin.
He should have had that captain killed, he had wondered why they had not just thrown the body of the babe in the sea - after all they thought Elia a commoner.
If he knew her identity then he needed to be silenced, lest word reach the wrong ears.
Elia wanted nothing to do with the Iron Throne when she arrived in Dorne, she now wished to leave Westeros forever with her daughter.
Rhaenys, the rightful ruler of the Iron Throne, clung to her mother's skirts just as much as her Elia clung to Rhaenys.
Doran still had time to set up the board, he could allow Elia to travel to his wife's family in Norvos. By the time Rhaenys grew he could put her forth as the new ruler of the seven kingdoms.
Rhaenys could be surrounded by tutors and playmates who would subtly encourage her, they could make her want the throne, make her understand that this was her birthright.
If only Aegon lived, he sighed. It would be easier to rally people around a male member of the Targaryen family.
He had been contacted by certain loyalists, there was another Targaryen alive. If Aegon was alive, he could have created a marriage pact between him and the young Targaryen.
Ser Willem Darry had taken the newly born Princess Daenerys across the Narrow Sea.
Prince Viserys was to have gone with them however he had dashed away in the confusion of the attack on Dragonstone, and there had been no time to find the Prince.
He was found in Queen Rhaella's chambers, clinging to her crown by the Westerlander's. The Lannisters had taken that poor boy captive and their new King had killed a defenseless little boy.
There was time to prepare, to plan, to plot. He could work with two female heirs.
The Tyrells had three boys and they had enough reason to want the end of the Lannisters and the Baratheons. They would need to find ways to sway the other Kingdoms to his side.
The Potter Blacks would also have to be seduced to their side somehow.
Doran had heard from his sources that the entire rebellion had been funded by the Potter Blacks.
How had they not known how wealthy they were, how had they hid their connection to the House of Black and White so well. He could not send Oberyn to Essos with Elia, but he could send Oberyn to Braavos to unearth more information on the Potter Blacks...
If they managed to gain some form of leverage… but then the seven damned house of assassins would kill them in the night!
No, they would have to be trapped with honey, this was only a small setback, not the end of the board. Martell blood would sit on that throne…
Harry cleared his throat and Doran freed himself from his thoughts "Prince Doran, I fear I must caution you against hiding the whereabouts of your sister. We docked at King's Landing and visited the Red Keep. The search for the Targaryen children and Princess Elia is not going to die down."
Doran was aware of this possibility "And why are you helping us with this Lord Potter Black? If the King were to find out about your involvement in this fiasco he would be wroth with your new house as well."
Harry smiled at the man "We are quite aware of that and are ready to face the issue when the situation arises. I have a small piece of advice for you - let Westeros know that your sister is back with you, let them know that Prince Aegon is dead and that Rhaenys is alive. If you give assurances that they will not seek the throne then the hunt for your sister will be over."
Doran was amazed this man would talk to him in such a manner - he may be rich and his family may be the progenitor of the faceless but Doran was a prince, the blood of Queen Nymeria ran in his veins.
Oberyn smirked at the brothers "Ah! So now we come to the meat of the matter. You wish to secure the throne for your chosen king."
"Dorne's chosen king as well from what we hear - have you not bent the knee as well Prince Oberyn." Sirius smirked back insolently.
"Enough" Doran called out in a soft yet firm tone "Lord Potter Black - do you truly believe that Robert Baratheon will let my sister and her child be in peace when he has reportedly brutally murdered a boy of seven."
Harry shook his head "King Robert is a great warrior, but an average man and will make an even worse King. However his hand Lord Arryn is a smart man with sharp political acumen."
Doran had to agree with that statement no matter how astounded he was that they would speak so brazenly about his King, so he gave a small nod in agreement.
"While at the capital, we heard that Lord Arryn was readying to sail to Sunspear so they could hammer out the terms of peace and surrender. Young Viserys was killed because he had no family and no allies. Your sister on the other hand sits in the heart of her homeland with every man willing to die for her. The situation is vastly different."
Doran agreed with that too, though he did not know the dynamics between Arryn and the King, there must be some love and respect involved considering the man went to war for his wards, when Mad Aerys called for their heads.
"Does the King listen to Lord Arryn?" this was something he had to know, even if he wished to see his blood on the throne, he realised that he would need to keep his family safe till that time arrived.
Lord Harry furrowed his brow "That is something I cannot assure you on completely Prince Doran. The King regards Lord Arryn as a father figure, but at the end of the day a man does what he must."
"And yet you ask me to tell the world of where my sister and her child are?" Doran raised an eyebrow at the man.
There was a rustle and the door to the inner chamber opened and in walked Elia, she had been listening to their talk it seemed. She walked straight up to the brothers and bowed to them "I thank you my Lords for the help you gave me in my hour of need."
Sirius took her hands in his "Princess Elia, I am so very sorry for your loss, if there is anything I can do for you or your daughter please do not hesitate to ask."
He looked genuinely saddened at the death of Aegon.
Elia shook her head "You have nothing to be sorry for My Lord, if not for you and your brother we all would have died a horrible death, You have done more for me and my children than anyone else."
Harry had also stood along with his brother and smiled at her now "It was the right thing to do Princess. I am very happy to see you safely back with your family and pray that your daughter is doing well."
Oberyn had walked up to Elia and held her hand as she stood in front of her saviours "Yes, she is quite well considering the circumstances." she looked back at Doran with steel in her spine and turned to the brothers again "You also have my assurance that no one will know about your involvement in my escape" Elia then backed away and took a seat the other side of the table while Oberyn stood behind her, a reassuring hand resting on her shoulder.
Elia looked at Doran "I agree with Lord Potter Black - when Lord Arryn comes to Dorne I will tell him that Rhaenys and I are going into voluntary exile. I want nothing of the barbed throne, I will not see another child of mine die for it."
###
284 AC
Stony Dragon
They had barely seen the lands the first time around before Harry and Sirius had gone off to war. He had hated being left behind, for Stranger's sake at just four and ten he was taller than both his brothers.
He wished they had taken him along, all his trainers told him he was a natural with the sword, even though he was still denied the right to bear steel. Sandor felt his brothers were being unnecessarily cautious. He was not a soft weakling, he could fight with the best of them, he was sure of it!
But, he had been needed at Winterfell he conceded.
Benjen had blamed himself for everything that had befallen his family. He had not understood at the time why he would be responsible for the deaths and kidnapping.
But when he had arrived in Braavos, Harry and Siri had told him the truth about Lyanna. Though he was sure that they had left out parts of the tale they thought he was too young to hear.
He had then understood, that maybe Benjen had known about his sister's plan to run away with Prince Rhaegar.
He would never understand women, if she did not want to marry, then why did she run with a man, why not run away alone? Ok, she was a girl and would have been dead long before she got anywhere, but gaah! Who understood women.
Sandor shook his head and moved quickly down the halls towards his chambers to have a bath, he was sweaty from all the practise and he was hungry.
Sandor made his way back to his room in the magically created cottage. Well Siri called it a cottage. It had three stories and twenty five rooms and was larger than the Clegane holding in the Westerlands.
Harry had build the cottage with magic and made everyone believe that this place had always been around - just needed repairs. Magic was so handy - he smirked to himself.
Since they had made shore five moons ago; the place was abuzz with activity, there was always some kind of noise in the background. The port was being built at the same time as their new permanent home.
It would be a large castle with four towers and a moat around it. The walls of the castle would be 2-4 days ride away as Harry wanted the town to be build within the walls.
Fac-to-ry - what an odd word! The factory was going to build within a different set of walls close to the port. There would also be a small town near it for the people who wished to lived close to the factory.
He did not know all the plans and he was sure Harry would teach him all about that before long. There were many things that Harry taught him which were from his own world. Who knew that one could sail around the world and not fall off at the edge!
They had even made a map of Westeros which hung in the solar. The map could only be seen by the three of them but it was a wondrous thing.
They could see the names of people travelling places and it could... What was that word.. Yes zoom, they could zoom in places.
The only problem with the map was that it had a few places missing. It only covered places where wardstones had been planted.
Harry had promised him that he would accompany him beyond the wall when he turned five and ten in a year. He could not wait!
He quickly washed in the shower.. Another wondrous thing and scrubbed himself clean.
Sandor thanked the Stranger everyday for sending his brothers to him, each day when he saw his face in the mirror it was a wonder to see himself whole and if he said so himself… amazingly handsome.
His head was full of hair, no burned scalp, no jawbone peeking through, no drooping eye. He was so, so, so, happy with his new family. He loved his new family, this is what brothers should be like - helpful, loving and teasing.
They had told him of what had happened to Gregor, that monster… and Sandor could not be happier. Gregor could not even clean his own shit and piss. His great strength and might - all for nothing. He had heard that he had lost their lands, the Lannisters had taken them back.
He did not know where Gregor was and neither did he want to know. Gregor Clegane was a thing of the past and had no control over his life anymore.
The bastard deserved everyday of misery thought Sandor as he walked in to get his lunch.
###
"Hey Harry. Where is Sirius? I have not seen him all day, he missed training too"
Harry smiled at him as Sandor sat next to him at the high table.
The tables below the salt were filled with the workers they had brought along from Braavos. There were also many people from all over the North who had arrived looking for work.
"We received a rider from the Umber's late last night, they wanted to either come over or for us to visit them."
Sandor swallowed his morsel "Why do they want to speak with us?"
Harry gave a short laugh "Why else, they want to build a couple of glass houses so they want to talk trade."
Ahh.. that made sense. Sandor had understood during his stay at Winterfell how important his family was to the North, to all of Westeros for that matter.
Winterfell was the only noble house in the North with three green houses, most other nobles only had one. Even that was only for the richer ones, like the Manderly's of White Harbour.
Harry had not neglected to teach him about the business.
It was boring but he was expected to travel and make deals and trade with the houses when he turned seven and ten.
But Sandor wanted to travel as a sellsword for a few years, maybe join a sellsword company.
That would be amazing, he could fight his way across the disputed lands and come home with so many stories, like his brothers had!
They would see that he was not some weakling and that they were not wasting their time teaching him and making him a member of their family.
He really wanted to prove himself to his family, they had done so much for him and he wanted his brothers to be proud of him.
But he knew Harry would never allow him to put himself in danger, he sighed, well there had to be some drawbacks for getting a loving family. He could start helping with the trade, Harry would surely allow him to do that, right?
Hmm… maybe he could, yes this idea had some merit "Has Sirius left already?"
"No, he is just getting his things ready. You know how much he hates travelling by horse."
They both smiled at that, Sirius could complain forever about how much he hated horse riding.
"When is he going to leave?" Sandor thought he was quite smooth at his casual questioning
"Ah.. he will be leaving early tomorrow morning." Harry answered as he finished his morsel.
This was it, he had to do this nice and easy "I could go along with Sirius. I know enough about the prices and what is needed to put up a glass house and this could be a trial run for me. You have taught me well Harry, and it's not that far, just a weeks ride away."
He loved Harry, he really did - but the Lord of their house was so overprotective when it came to him. He was rarely allowed to go anywhere alone, he was trained by the best in all things martial but Harry did not want him to ever face battle.
Sandor towered over most men and he could best most men in a swordfight too, well with wooden practice swords. His brothers still thought of him as a child. It was so infuriating.
Harry looked intently at him and Sandor met his gaze hoping his brother would see that he was ready for some responsibility. He wanted to prove himself to his family, he wanted to help them, make things easier.
Harry slung a hand around his shoulders "Alright, you can go with Sirius. But you will listen to Sirius and no wandering around."
"YES!" the hall quietened at his sudden shout and he looked down knowing his face was pink "Thank you Harry. I promise I will not let you down." he smiled widely and pushed his chair back.
"Where are you off to?" Harry questioned him, but his face looked amused.
"I am going to find Sirius and then pack. I need to know what to take with me"
Sandor hurried down the hall, ecstatic at the upcoming trip. Now, if only some idiot bandits attacked them, his trip would be complete. He could get a little taste of battle and prove himself as a good warrior to his brothers.
###
284 AC
Winterfell
Luna Stark / Lyanna Stark
(AN - this is the last time I will refer to to Lyanna as Lyanna, she will be called Luna henceforth)
"Psst.. Benjen" Benjen looked around from where Luna was calling to him.
Luna was hiding in the last horse stall, she was very happy to be back home but this was getting ridiculous.
It had taken a long time for her to repair her relationship with Ned and Benjen.
Ben had been set on going to the wall and it was aggravating to not be able to tell him that she was alive and right in front of him. The entire time she had struggled with the grief she had unknowingly bestowed on her youngest brother.
When she had decided to run off with that bastard she had not expected the destruction she would be leaving in her wake. She understood now, that she was not responsible for the war. The trip to Braavos had been good for her, the Potter Black brothers had hammered the facts of the rebellion in her mind.
Even if she had not left with that bastard, the war would have taken place.
It was not for her that the Kingdoms had risen in rebellion, it was because the King was mad, and the bastard's madness was hidden. If not her family - Aerys would have killed someone else who was considered important.
They had also explained to her why Robert was put forth as the next King. He had a Targaryen grandmother, that was all - that was his claim to the spiky chair.
She was alive because of them, and before they had sat down with her and explained how the world really worked, she had wished they would have let her die.
But she was a Stark, and slowly she had understood she needed to learn from her mistakes and be better, stronger, smarter.
She would not give up on life or happiness, she would endure, she would survive - no she would thrive. And that would be a slap in the face of that bastard, and Robert as well.
Thank the old gods, Ned had finally pulled away from Robert. And she was vindicated to hear; that Robert had fucked another child into existence while claiming to be fighting for her. The new Queen was welcome to him.
There had been three ravens from King's Landing inviting the Lord and Lady of Winterfell to the royal wedding. Ned had politely declined each and every one of them.
She had to mentally praise Ned for his firm convictions, he may be too mired in his ideas of honour but if only she had had such strength then maybe father and Brandon would still be alive.
No! She would not think like that, she would think of something else..
Ah yes… her bane.. Lady Catelyn Stark - the reason she was currently hiding in the stables.
She was a nice enough woman, but by the old gods she was tiring.
Luna could sew well enough, she did not need to learn intricate embroidery.
And she looked so pinched in the face when she learned to spar with Benjen in the yard.
Ned had been so sad at what she had experienced that he had given her a free hand, she could learn all the martial skills she wanted to learn.
And he had promised he would not marry her off without her agreement.
This, this was all that she had wanted. She wanted to be able to make the big decisions of her life, she wanted to learn how to defend herself and her loved ones.
She was not stupid enough to think she would accompany her brothers into battle, but if she came across someone like - like that bastard again.. Well, they would be sorry.
"Luna, is that you? Why are you hiding in here?" Ben had finally come up to her at the very back of the stables.
Luna pulled him towards her hiding place and shushed him "Where is the taskmaster?"
Benjen smirked at her "Ah, ah, ah, she is the Lady of WInterfell and responsible for your studies."
Luna rolled her eyes "I know she is, but it's needlework all the bloody time! And why is she calling a bloody septa, We follow the old gods and this is the North. I thought there was no Light of the Seven nonsense here"
Benjen took great joy in her being the youngest as far as she could tell.
He had always been the youngest and therefore the most pushed around as per the sibling laws.
Ever since Benjen had been told the truth when the Potter Blacks finally arrived back in the North, he milked her being the youngest for all that it was worth.
Benjen sat on the hay bale with her and mussed her hair, Luna pushed his hands away and made a face at him. But she secretly loved this, she loved the closeness they had found again.
What she had survived had tarnished the rosy view she had of the world. She knew that most people were not good, but she had thought she was smart enough to not be fooled. Life had taught her how painfully naive she was.
Ned was also slowly becoming the happy brother she had known before the war, Robb her nephew helped all of them to find innocent joy again.
They had all been changed by the war, the deaths of her father and Brandon weighed heavy on all of them, especially her, but they were rebuilding their lives again.
Catelyn was not a bad sort, and she could see that Ned and Catelyn were slowly falling in love. But she was just so... so… southron! All courtesies and pomp.
"Come on, let's get you out of here, and I think instead of hiding you should tell Catelyn that you do not wish to learn any more needlework. She would understand… well you should tell Ned, and he would tell her to stop." Benjen amended his words with a smirk.
The crafty bugger had cottoned onto her ways. One could only wallow in guilt and sadness for so long, she was more sad that she could not feel the same amount of sadness the others seemed to be feeling.
She had quickly figured out that Ned was quite guilty at what pushing for a betrothal to Robert had resulted in, so Luna had slowly started to take advantage of Ned's misplaced guilt to get what she wanted.
The Vale had made Ned more of an Arryn than a Stark, and if he wanted to be taken down by a she-wolf than who was she to refuse.
###
284 AC
King's Landing
Varys
The new queen had fallen with child a few months into her royal marriage. This was inevitable he mused, but a child could be disposed of in many ways in this keep. A little poison, a pillow to the face, an accident, an illness… the possibilities were endless.
It was the innocent who suffered most in the Game of Thrones, and a death of a royal child had no more importance in his mind than the child of a peasant.
How many had died to make Robert the new King, and Varys would never accept anyone without the blood of the Dragon on the Iron Throne.
No one knew, not even Illyrio knew why he supported the Targaryens. And he would never tell anyone that he was a Targaryen bastard. He was a grandchild of the famed Brynden Rivers.
King Aerys had searched for Brynden's offspring, hoping to find someone with the gift of greenseeing. Alas! He had only found him, Varys.
Despite his lack of greensight - the King had brought him back to Westeros and given him a chance to be his master of whisperers.
Varys sometimes wondered if he had had the gift as a child, and was that why the sorcerer had chosen him from all the other children.
Was the magic in his veins sacrificed to open a gateway to… wherever that voice answered from? Was his manhood cut off root and stem to appease a demon? He shivered involuntarily and promised himself once again to revenge himself upon that magic user.
He walked across the city disguised as an old woman, shuffling along to the markets at the dock to sell her haul like so many others that called King's Landing their home.
He quietly set up his merchandise on an upturned crate, the smell of fish was overpowering in this particular area, it almost covered the foul smell of human and animal waste.
His contact was coming up to his stall - finally.
"A sickle for five crabs ser"
"GIve me ten of them, and they better be fresh woman or I will come back for you"
The man walked off and Varys had his scroll, pressed in his pouch. He sold off the rest of his crabs and then slowly made his way back to a dirty ramshackle house where he could change and make his way back to the Red Keep from the tunnel in the hut.
The future of the Targaryen dynasty had two options, and both were safe for now.
Daenerys was in Pentos under the care of Illyrio, posing as his daughter.
Sadly, Ser Willem Darry had to be killed to keep her existence hidden.
And the true successor Princess Rhaenys Targaryen was on her way to Norvos, along with her mother. He had dearly hoped for a male successor but that was not to be.
He should have switched the babes, if Elia had died he could have claimed to have switched the babes… but - now everyone knew the truth.
The Hand of the King had been shocked when he met her and Rhaenys in Dorne. Jon Arryn had successfully brokered peace between the Crown and Dorne.
Rhaenys had sworn to never conspire against the crown or set foot in Westeros for as long as she lived.
Princess Elia and Rhaenys had both taken voluntary exile from Westeros - and while Elia could come back anytime Rhaenys never could.
He would work with what he had, and in a way two women were better to make alliances. The Tyrells would surely grasp at any chance to grow strong, and revenge.
The Lady Olenna Tyrell had already started to spread rumours about the King.
The smallfolk thought him to be a whorer, a drunk, a child killer and a child torturer
Three of the those were true, but it was the fourth that hurt his reputation.
The tale of Viserys' death had only grown in the telling.. It started with his throat slashed, then it was fingers smashed and manhood slowly removed, then raped and beaten with his body flayed in full court.
The last rumour he heard was Poor Prince Viserys a child of seven had been beaten, burned with hot pokers, sodomized with stag antlers and then burned alive.
It had been amusing to see the King saddened at the reaction of the smallfolk.
The tourney for the wedding was sparsely attended by the smallfolk - afraid of his fury, the nobles of course had gathered like the swarm of bees that they were.
The missing presence of the North had somehow managed to confirm the alleged heinous deeds of the new King.
It was the family of the new Queen who had tried to rape, kill and plunder the people of King's Landing - they had been under assault till the brave Northern soldiers had come and saved them.
All the smallfolk knew of the friendship between the King and the Warden of the North, and they had all also heard of how Lord Eddard Stark a young man known for his honour had stormed away from the capital after witnessing the death of Prince Viserys.
Varys smiled to himself, he knew old Olenna Tyrell was a crafty one. And she would not forget who had killed her son. By allying with the Lannisters, Jon Arryn had consigned himself and Robert Baratheon to a lifelong campaign of slander.
She was not powerful enough to move in a direct manner, as Ser Kevan had decimated the troops at Storm's End.
But she was building strength, for now she had to combat the Hightowers who wanted to place one of their own as regent for young Willas.
Maybe, he should start a rumour about the new Queen… hmmm maybe how she killed seven virgins every moon to maintain her beauty.
The weaker the hold of the Baratheon's on the Kingdom, the easier it would be to wrest it from their grasp once the Targaryens came of age.
###
284 AC
Stony Dragon
"Wardstones - check"
"Calming Ward - check"
"Minor truth ward - check"
"Minor cheering charm - check"
"Weather manipulating runes- check"
"Anti-theft ward - check"
"Minor loyalty Ward - check"
"Fire Suppression - check"
"Minor Warming Charm - check"
"Tracking Ward - check"
Harry wiped his hand over his brow as he stood looking at the ward scheme.
There were things he could add if this was a purely magical area, but so far he was happy with the few wards he had added. Besides he could always add more to the scheme at a later date.
The building was coming along slowly but surely, by his estimate the port should be complete in a moon's turn, the factory site was almost done - likely a week or more should see it in action.
The village near the factory had been finished, the walls for the factory were close to being complete.
The only thing that would take time was his castle - it was slow going as Harry wanted to finish everything else. The manor they lived in now was great, but this world placed a high value on the castle of a Lord and so… he was building a replica of Hogwarts.
It would take another four to six years for the castle to be complete, but that was fine with him. After the port town and factories were done, he wanted the workers to put their energy into the walls of the castle and the town he was building inside it.
The castle would be surrounded by a moat and walls were being built 100 kilometers away, this way he could set up as many green houses he wanted, farms, housing, markets and everything else.
Harry wanted everything to be as protected as he could make it, when the walls were close to completion he would lay the ward stones in place. The main wardstone for the walls, the port, the castle walls would remain with him so he could add to them as needed.
His masterpiece though would be at the Sea Dragon Port, the tower was 200 feet tall with a winch cage that transported men up and down, the stairs were too long to take.
There was a floor every 50 feet with 10 rooms.
The top of that tower though would house this world's largest telescope - or far eye as they called them. It would keep an eye on the shoreline. In the past Ironborn and Wildling raiders had raided the western front of the north.
This was mainly due to the lack of a strong house in the western front, and what houses were already established were quite poor and thus could not spare the funds to make their lands safe.
The Mormonts of Bear Island were hit frequently enough that the women of that place were warriors as well. The few smallfolk that lived in his lands were impoverished and without much opportunity.
After his watchtower was complete, no ship could come close to his lands without warning.
Harry had already planned to hire a force of 5000 men who would be stationed permanently in his lands.
2000 men at the port, 1000 at the factory and the remaining 2000 would maintain law and order within the walls of the castle grounds.
He just wanted to get started on the business, they had gained orders for glass houses from every Lord in the North.
In the next month he wanted to get started on the work, once everything was streamlined he could leave and visit the wall. Though Harry had promised Sandor to take him along, he wanted to visit beyond the wall alone the first time.
What he was currently doing felt too much like bureaucracy and he wanted to be finished with this as soon as possible.
Sirius had also been very busy - it was his job to create 200 golems. These would look and talk like normal humans but they were just automatons.
These golems would be the supervisors in the factory. They would ensure no man tried to sneak in or sneak out any of their secrets.
His tour of the kingdoms had assured him that people would be trying to find out how to make glass so that they could undercut him and his business.
They could try as much as they wished, but with loyalty charms and secrecy charms and his golems they would get nowhere.
Once the work began he would finish the orders for the glass houses, Harry had already magically created the glass panes he needed for the telescope, but he could not reveal them till his workplace was build.
The glass panes would be build by the workers but the runes for strength and shatter proofing would be engraved by the golems, the rune scheme also had an invisibility sequence in them so that no one would see them.
If not for the golems then Harry and Sirius would probably spend the rest of their lives charming the glass panes.
The one thing Harry had learned from his time visiting all the various holdfasts was that everyone that was anyone had a network of informants. And if they did not - then they were fools.
Harry wanted to know what was going on in the kingdoms so he would not be caught unaware. Thus all of his products were lain in with a mild loyalty charm towards his family, a trust me charm and a listening charm.
The mirrors he sold were inlaid with a scrying charm as well as a record function whenever a human being was in the room. It was a mix of homenum revelio and the scrying charm.
These things were not possible to do in the wizarding world as a simple revelio would tell you what was inlaid on the item, but here he could kill a man with the spell they learnt in 1st year to snuff out a candle.
Their magic was a boon and a curse here, it would be too easy to subjugate the people of this world to his will.
There was something in this world that made it's people very susceptible to mind magics.
It was now a fact of life that the Potter Blacks had always existed in Essos, his meeting with Elia had proved that his slight manipulation of her mind had made her want to leave Westeros forever. He had tried to make things easier for the newly christened Luna and lessened her guilt over the deaths of so many by tinkering with her mind as well.
The last he saw her, she seemed to be happy.
This was why all the charms he had laid on the ward stones that manipulated one's feeling were the mildest he could make them.
Did he feel guilt for manipulating the emotions of so many people - truthfully no.
One thing life had taught him was that you must take advantage of every opportunity you have. His magic was a gift and he was not going to waste the opportunities it presented by debating morals and ethics.
All that he was building was going to be Sandor's someday. Sirius and Harry had already decided to make him the next Lord of Stony Dragon.
When the castle was finally build Sirius would be named the Lord of the Marauder Keep - the manor they were staying in presently.
It was at the edge of the wolf's wood forest and would serve as one of the vassal houses to the the Lord of Stony Dragon.
Harry had already decided on the places where he would put up his vassal houses, he could easily host 50 banner houses in his lands.
But Harry would only have eight of them, all on the edge of his lands.
When Sandor was ready to rule, Harry would place him as the Lord of the Port Town and then when he had enough experience he would be installed as the Lord of Stony Dragon while Harry took up the post as his bannerman.
There had been many Lords who had hinted at gaining some land for their second and third sons, but Harry was not going to give out land like candy.
He wanted good men, men who had something to offer other than their bloodline.
It would take him time but he would settle this land as he saw fit.
A knock came at the door and was soon flung open as Sirius and Sandor walked in, the guard looked apologetic but Harry waved him away and smiled at his visitors.
These were the very people he had to keep safe in this new world, and Harry would cheat anyone, trick anyone, kill anyone to ensure their happiness.
AN - I am still looking for a beta if there is anyone willing to proof read please PM me.