Disclaimer: I do not ownHarry PotterorGame of Thrones.

AN: The following takes place during the same timeframe as "Garden of Bones"

The Song of Builders

By Jojobevco

Chapter 7

A Garden of Shadows

The Army of the North

Oxcross, The Westerlands, Westeros

Lord Eddard Stark decided it was time to strike. His army had been successfully stalling Tywin Lannister for weeks now. It was time to bleed him a little. As his army stealthy creeped toward the Lannister Host at Oxcross, under the command of Stafford Lannister, he smiled. The total surprise his forces had achieved was amazing. Ned wasn't much of a fan of stealth, but when it worked, it really worked.

In reality the battle would not change much, they were only fighting new conscripts, at most, it would contain Tywin to his current forces, as well as confuse Tywin about their plans. Ned turned to Greatjon Umber and nodded. The army drew its weapons and screamed, "Winterfell!"

The Next Day

The Secret Solar of the Builders of the Wall

The Red Keep

King's Landing, The Crownlands, Westeros

Sansa started back peddling, blocking the blows as she went, before using her height and reach to suddenly throw her opponent on the defensive. She smiled slightly using all she had learned in rapid succession, trying desperately to keep her much more experienced opponent on the defensive as long as possible. She was succeeding, until…

"Lady Sansa!"

Sansa, stupidly, turned and looked in the direction she had been called from, dropping her guard, catching a full force punch to the stomach for her idiocy. As she doubled over and collapsed to the ground, she glared at her teacher, the recently promoted Major Karsi, who shrugged as if to say, 'you dropped your guard, it's not my fault I couldn't pull the punch in time.'

Tyrion, who had called her quickly walked over and placed his hand on her shoulder, "My Lady, I apologize, are you alright?"

Sansa nodded, "Ugh, Quite fine, Lord Tyrion, just, gasp, winded by my own stupidity." After a few moments she stood up, wincing, "How can I help you?"

"I have news of your father. According to the 'Crown' he set upon Stafford Lannister with an army of wolves and then after the battle the Northmen ate the flesh of the slain."

"Well," Sansa winced, "Clearly they have confused us for the Thenns."

Tyrion nodded, "And Stafford Lannister couldn't fight his way out of a satchel."

Karsi asked, "What does the Agent assigned to Lord Stark have to say?"

Tyrion shrugged, "Last report said the Agent had been assigned to assist Sansa's brother Robb in his journey to see 'King' Renly Baratheon. We have no report."

"Can a substitute be sent?"

Tyrion shook his head, "None available."

Sansa nodded, "Then what we know is that we won and your father lost, badly, if they're trying to cover it up with such propaganda."

Tyrion nodded, "Indeed." He then turned to leave.

"Where are you going?"

Tyrion chuckled, "I have to unclog a 'king.' As the former master of sewers, drains, and cisterns of Casterly Rock, it seems to be a task I am well suited for arranging," Tyrion turned back and left.

Karsi pulled two practice swords out and Sansa groaned. Karsi chuckled, "I don't expect you to be the prodigy your sister is, but I do expect you to be very good at the least.

Sansa sighed and assumed a ready position, she knew she would end up on the ground soon enough, but she was determined to pay her teacher back for it in spades.

Late That Evening

Chambers of the Hand of the 'King'

The Red Keep

Kings Landing, The Crownlands, Westeros

Tyrion paced back and forth in his chambers, having sent Shae to bed long ago. He was expecting a report from Ros, who had recently been sent to gather information from 'King' Joffrey. While Tyrion knew his double nephew was stupid, he also knew the chance of him saying or doing something worthwhile was slim. Still, it was a chance that Ros had wanted to take.

Tyrion shook his head, Ros, was another enigma wrapped in a bottle. An extremely selfless woman, he had no idea why she acted the way she did. Tyrion knew very little about her, just as he did about every member of his staff, some builder concept called 'compartmentalization.' He knew that, unlike most Agents, Ros was from the Lands Beyond the Wall. The rest was pure deduction. Based on the interactions he had seen between her and Karsi he believed that she was a former member of the Army of the Fist's Officer Corps and not a well liked one. He also believed that there was some sort of indebted feeling or guilt that caused her to act rashly with her own life when on missions. After all, she volunteered for an extremely high risk mission in working for Baelish. And now this one. Tyrion had warned her that her nephew would probably be cruel, Ros insisted that she could handle it.

His thinking was interrupted by a loud knocking. Tyrion went to the door and opened it, stunned at the sight. 'Ser' Meryn Trant and Sandor Clegane were holding Ros and Daisy. Both of them looked like they had been through hell. Daisy looked extremely pale and in a lot of pain, her dress was covered in blood, so much so that it was sticking to her in places. Ros, meanwhile, had a large bruise on her face, but otherwise looked fine, although it was clear that she was hiding her pain from what he could tell. Trant and Clegane tossed them in at Tyrion, who despite his best efforts, fell under them, before laughing and closing the door. Tyrion glanced over at the closed bedroom door, listening, unable to hear anything beyond Daisy's wheezing and Ros's labored breathing. He decided he'd have to risk it. He took Daisy's hand and grabbed it onto Ros's necklace, saying "I serve the Builders."

He felt a hook behind his navel as they were dragged out of King's Landing back North. In moments, they found themselves on the soft carpet of the Arrivals Room. The guards sprang into action, working to identify the pile of bodies, as they untangled them, a cry of "Healer!" brought the Medical Team standing by into the fray. Everyone was shouting over each other.

"I'm Senior Agent Lord Tyrion Lannister, password Tysha-sixteen!"

"Help us!"

"Gurgle."

"Patient has multiple blunt and sharp trauma contusions, probable internal bleeding, we need to get her to the Hospital immediately."

"This one has some severe bruising, we should get her there as well."

Within a minute or so, they had it all sorted and the group was on their way to the hospital wing, with a guard running to get Lord Potter.

Moments later they arrived in the Hospital Wing. While it was the most advanced medical facility on the planet, that wasn't saying much. Actually, it bore a striking resemblance to the Hogwarts Hospital Wing, just a bit colder. The Healers ran to and fro, grabbing potion and pouring them down Ros's throat. They did not understand much of the healing techniques of the builders, except that they were among the finest in the world. Not everyone was able to use them though.

The reasons why were a bit beyond them, but only a bit. In truth, it was an issue of genetics, birth, and the way magic worked in this world. The Builder's immortality came with some reproductive prices. The Builders could not reproduce among themselves (as far as they knew, they didn't have a formal breeding program, but in 8,000 years Tonks never got pregnant from a Builder). However, they could reproduce with humans. The resulting offspring were magical, but it was in dormant in most of them. They, and their descendants, would react to magic and could interact with it (by say, brewing potions, or working with magical metals), but could not express it themselves. In the terms of the wizarding world, they were squibs. A few had stronger gifts: Greensight, Warging, Fire Sight, Advanced Healing abilities, et cetera.

As a result, the Fist's Hospital had two types of potions, ones that could be given to anyone and ones that could only be given to the descendent of a builder. After 8,000 years of sex on two continents, that encompassed the majority of the population, including Ros. Daisy was an unknown though. So the first potion she was given was what was called The Healer's Check. It was a potion designed to interact with magic. In the event someone was magical, their skin would briefly turn green. If not, there would be no change.

Thankfully Daisy's skin turned green and the healers set to work.

As they did, Lord Harry briskly walked in, robes billowing behind him, General Giantsbane and Lady Agent-in-Training Arya Stark fast on his heels. Harry stopped for a moment, caressing Ros's good cheek before heading over to Daisy, drawing his wand. He muttered a spell and started waving his wand over her wounds, watching as her skin started rapidly regenerating, closing the wounds and lightening the surrounding bruises.

In the minds of the others in the room, only one thing came to mind. Once again, the Master of Death had said, "Not Today."

After a few minutes, Harry had gotten Daisy on the track to being healed and returned to Ros, who had curled up and was quietly shaking as she cried. Harry sat next to her and held her hand. He leaned in to hear her whispering, "I tried, I tried to stop him. Once I realized what he was after, I tried to make him take it out on me, to protect her. But, oh, Lord Harry, what have I done?!"

Harry sat on the bed and pulled her close to him, rubbing her back and making shushing noises. He appreciated the moments where he could be almost human again.

Daenerys Targaryen's Khalasar

Deep within the Red Waste, Essos

Ser Jorah Mormont, Agent of the Builders was supervising the packing and departure of the last of the Khalasar. While they had lost a good deal of the followers that Khal Drago had, still thousands followed Daenerys and her son. Jorah was thankful for the food and water shipments from headquarters, Dany probably would have lost more followers without them. Now they were headed for Qarth. Dany's next 'test' would be gaining admission to the city and surviving its snake pit of leaders. This was going to be interesting. Jorah fingered the braids of hair that made up his bracelet, smiling slightly, before returning to pick up a crate to be loaded away.

Baratheon Parley Meeting

Near Storm's End, The Stormlands, Westeros.

The Parley meeting was basically a formality. Neither brother, whether through stubbornness or stupidity, would stand down. Stannis commented, "Lord Robb, I had not expected to see you in The Stormlands."

Robb respectfully inclined his head, "I had not expected to be here, Lord Stannis."

Renly asked, "I wasn't sure it was you, with the banners and all. Good thing they're different, or the battle might be terribly confusing."

Stannis smirked, "It's my own."

Renly shook his head, "Why is it on fire?"

The woman with Stannis answered, "The 'King' has taken for his sigil the fiery heart of the Lord of Light."

Beside him, Robb heard Talisa, curse under her breath, "Shit!" Robb saw Talisa slowly reach for a leather billfold on her belt.

Renly meanwhile smiled, "Ah, you must be the fire priestess we have heard so much about." Renly chuckled, "Brother, I see why you have found religion so late in life."

Stannis bit out a warning, "Renly?"

"No, no, I'm relieved actually, you were never a godly man, a fanatic. This is good news brother, you're still charmless and a bore, but not crazy."

The Red Priestess haughtily replied, "You should kneel before your brother, Lord Renly. He's the Lord's Chosen, born among salt and smoke."

Robb heard Talisa curse under her breath again, "Fuck!"

Renly joked, "Like a ham?"

Robb tried to gain some civility back to the proceedings, "My Lords, please, we should try to come to some civil arrangement."

Stannis turned to him, "Lord Robb, I'm surprised to see you at my brother's side."

Robb looked down at his position halfway between the two, "The North is staying neutral in this. We will not get involved in a dispute between brothers."

"Your father supports my claim."

Talisa chimed in, "House Stark is reevaluating its support in light of the company you keep."

The Red Priestess asked, "And you are?"

Robb responded, trying to keep the negotiations on track, "Lady Talisa is my aide. She does indeed speak for House Stark in this matter."

Stannis asserted, "The Iron Throne is mine by right. All who deny it are my foes."

Renly remarked, "Everyone denies it from Sunspear to the Wall. No one wants you for 'king'. You never had any friends, you need friends to have power, brother."

Stannis was at his wits end, "In honor of our mother, I will give you tonight to strike your banners and come to my side. If you do, I will give you your seat on the council back. I will also name you my heir, until I have a son."

Renly thought his brother was crazy, "Look at that valley. Look at all those banners, think of the men holding them. They will win me the crown."

The Red Priestess said the last word, "Look to your sins Lord Renly, for the Night is Dark and Full of Terrors." They then turned to leave.

Talisa shouted after them, "Dark and Full of Terror, my ass!" Before turning her horse in a third direction away from both camps.

Robb asked, "Where are you going."

"To get help, that Red Priestess is dangerous."

Robb followed up, "From whom?"

Talisa shouted, "The Real Damn Lord of Light!" Before galloping away.

The Same Time

The Garden of Bones

Outside Qarth, Essos

Everyone was terrified as they approached Qarth. Dany knew this was her last best chance for her people. Jorah knew this was the next and most dangerous test that Dany would have to face so far. The Builders held little power out here, which confused him. Why send Dany here, to a testing ground so uncontrollable?

The gates of the city opened and line after line of spearmen stepped out, creating a wall of sharpened spears between them and the city. Dany looked up and could see Archers nocking their arrows on the city walls.

Daenerys turned to Jorah, "I thought we were welcome."

Jorah raised an eyebrow, "If you hear a Dothraki horde was approaching your city, you might do the same Khalessi."

Daenerys looked at her beleaguered followers, "Horde?"

Jorah shrugged, "Well, we do have the numbers for it."

They turned back to look at the approaching line of spearmen, behind them stood a group of people dressed in fine robes. A few of them stood out, a very tall and broad dark skinned man, a short fat man in the front and a bald, hairless, tall, thin, older man. The short fat man walked forward, between the spearmen and the Khalasar.

"My name is Daenerys-"

"Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen."

Daenerys decided on humble diplomacy "You know me, my lord?"

"Only by reputation Khalessi. I'm, no lord, merely a humble merchant."

Jorah muttered, "Humble, my ass."

Dany pressed on, "And what should I call you?"

The merchant shook his head, "My name is too difficult for foreigners to pronounce. I am merely a trader of spices. But, we are the Thirteen, charged with the governance and protection of Qarth, the greatest city that ever was or will be."

Jorah had never heard a statement that was so false. He had lived in the City of the Builders under The Fist and he had seen the tapestries of Valyria. Qarth was nothing more than a sideshow.

Daenerys had learned to have an ear for negotiation and languages, but even she still stumbled, "The greatness of Quarth is legendary-"

"Qarth," The smug spice merchant, who was approaching Jorah's impatience, asked, "Can we see the dragons?"

Dany knew she would lose all respect if she showed them her tiny lizards, so she decided to try to bargain, "My Friend, we have traveled very far. We have no food, no water. Once I see my people fed then I would be honored-"

Jorah resisted his urge to face palm, that was some of the weakest negotiation he had ever seen. The Spice 'King' was not impressed either, "Forgive me, Mother of Dragons, but no man alive has ever seen a living dragon. Some of my more skeptical friends refuse to believe your children even exist." Obviously, he was agreeing with his skeptical friends. "All we ask is the chance to see for ourselves."

Daenerys was affronted, "I am not a liar."

"I do not think you are. However, I do not know you, therefore my opinion is of limited value."

Daenerys was getting a little frustrated, "Where I come from, guests are treated with respect."

Jorah could see her walking right into that one, "Then perhaps you should return to where you come from, we wish you well."

Dany stepped forward, and the spearmen flexed, "What are you doing? You promised to receive me!"

The Spice 'King' gestured, "We have received you."

Daenerys tried to appeal to his humanity, "If you don't let us in, we will die!"

"And we would feel so bad about that, but Qarth did not become the greatest city that ever was or will be by allowing Dothraki savages inside its gates."

Jorah smirked, "I can assure you, we are quite civilized."

Daenerys decided to double down on her house words, "I assure you that when my dragons are grown, I will take back what was taken from me and those that have wronged me will suffer. You will be first."

The Spice 'King' was not impressed, "You are a true Targaryen. As you said though, if we don't let you in, you will die."

The tall dark-skinned man, likely of the Southern Isles spoke up, "Retreating from a little girl is unbecoming of this great city."

The Spice 'King' tried to cut him off, "The conversation is over Xaro Xhoan Daxos. The Thirteen have spoken!"

"I am one of The Thirteen, Spice 'King,' and I am still speaking."

"She has a Dothraki Horde at her back, she threatens to burn the city to the ground. You want to invite her in?!"

"She is the Mother of Dragons, she will breathe fire if her people are starving and their backs are against the wall. Therefore I invoke Sumai, I vouch for her and her people in accordance with our laws."

The Spice 'King' was powerless to stop it, "Be it on your head!"

As the gates opened and the Khalasar entered, they missed a few telltale signs. They missed the glassy-eyes of Xaro Xhoan Daxos, and a small pop which could be heard from within the gateway tower.

The Small Conference Room

Command Level

Fist of the First Men, The Lands Beyond the Wall, Westeros

"Agent Maegyr, are you sure?"

Harry, General Giantsbane, Ros, and Arya were all sitting around the table staring at a giant mirror, displaying the face of Agent Talisa Maegyr. Tyrion had returned to Kings Landing as his presence would be missed.

"Positive, my Lord. She matches the description. Red hair, alabaster skin, killer body, Asshai'i accent."

Arya was confused, "Who is this woman?"

Harry filled her in, "She goes by Melisandre. In her early life she was a slave in Essos, named Melony. She is a priestess of the religion of R'hllor, who believe that a promised prince, the reborn Azor Ahai will come to save them from the Great Other of cold and darkness."

Arya was further confused, "Aren't you Azor Ahai?"

Harry nodded, "Yes, the religion was founded as a result of some mistranslations in Volantis and Asshai during the Pre-Valyria period. The fire basis of the religion is the major problem. It seems to attract a large number of rogue magic practitioners."

General Giantsbane added, "Melisandre has been on the Builders Most Wanted list for seven years. She performed Necromancy on an officer of the Builders."

Harry glanced at Ros, "Suffice it to say, it did not work," he turned back to Talisa, "Agent Maegyr, I'm joining you in the field. Hold your current position, I will be there shortly. Ros and Arya, you are returning to King's Landing. Ros, you'll return to your previous assignment, take some rest time as appropriate. Arya, you will be joining your sister and Captain Karsi for training."

Ros objected, "Lord Potter, with all due respect."

"Request denied."

"Ser-"

"No, Ros, you are too emotionally involved," with that, Harry turned and left.

Arya was confused, "What was that about?"

"The officer who was necromanced, he was my husband. We were on a mission to Myr, to investigate word of strange and suspicious powers coming from the local Red Temple and everything went bad at once…

Seven Years Earlier

Myr, Essos

Captain Ros, deputy commander of the Builders' Snowy Owl Unit parried another thrust by her opponent before slicing his neck. The Snowy Owl Unit was the Essos equivalent of the Snow Foxes, They had the same level of training, but specialized more in Essos instead of Westeros. Ros quickly engaged another opponent, deftly sidestepping his efforts to knock her off balance before embedding a sword in his gut, watching as his intestines spilled out. She raised an eyebrow as she turned, back to back with another member of her team, fighting off yet another warrior of the 'Lord of Light.'

Ros had been raised in the City of the Builders, the underground city that surrounded the fist. She had learned her history, the true history of the world, including a few guest lectures from the Builders themselves. After having read the 'scriptures' of the followers of the 'Lord of Light' it was clear what had happened, historiographical drift.

It was a term she had learned early in her Builder Officer Corps training, a term that explained that while the Fist's records of the last 8,000 years were controlled for by the presence of the Builders, the rest of the world was subject to incorrect history, caused by a variety of misinterpretations, lost data, and intentional changes. From what they had been able to determine, a Pre-Valyrian era copy of the History of The Age of Heroes had been either accidently or intentionally misinterpreted. This lead to a belief that Lord Harry was some sort of hero of a god (Azor Ahai), who used fire magic and who had killed his wife, and now people worshiped the god that gave the hero his powers.

As she used her sword to decapitate a man, she was disgusted by the inaccuracies. Before she could turn to face her next opponent, she heard a groaning scream. Ros turned to see Colonel Harrip, her commander and husband catch a sword to the chest. Ros blinked, once, and then went crazy along with the rest of her unit. In those next moments they showed the followers of the Lord of Light exactly why they should fear the Fist. Within a minute it was all over, the warriors guarding the Red Temple lay dead at their feet.

They then watched as the priests and priestesses came out and started praying over the dead. Their respect for the traditions turned to shock as the dead started waking up. Ros grabbed her husband's body and threw it over her shoulder as she shouted to her unit, "Let's get out of here." They ran out of the temple and down the streets, separating and taking separate paths back to their safe house in the Temple District.

As they bent over to catch their breath, one of the unit asked, "What the fuck just happened?"

Another team member answered, "The impossible, they raised the dead."

"We must report to the Fist immediately, this is very bad."

As they were debating there was a knock at the door.

They took positions around the door, drew their swords, and opened it. A young, attractive woman stepped in. She turned to Ros and said, "I can help you."

"….at first she did. Against the advice of my team, I had her bring my husband back to life and I swore the team to secrecy. It was a miracle, but he was unstable. He wasn't the same man, he did not have the same kindness, he was…rougher. I didn't care at first, I could handle myself, and the most important thing was that he was back with me. Over the course of a month, it got worse. I did what I could to hide it, thinking he just needed time to adjust, but then, he snapped at work." Ros took a deep breath before continuing.

"He had been asked to guest instruct a class of first year recruits. Harrip had been holding it together at work, but that day, he just snapped. He was doing a live steel demonstration, and he chopped the instructors head clear off before going after the students. The screams drew guards, but he took them out of the fight in seconds. Eventually, Lord Harry showed up, walking into the room, he held out his hand and shot a red light at Harrip."

Ros relaxed a bit and sat down on a bench, Arya followed her, "Despite our immortal leaders, we have been taught about death from childhood. Just as people have been taught for thousands of years in the Lands Beyond the Wall. We have been taught that Death is unavoidable, that it comes for us all, and that, to the well-organized mind, Death is the next great adventure. We all know the story of how the Builders became immortal, how it was chance and circumstance, and how it could never be replicated. Yet, that has not stopped people from trying. We learned it has a cost, every time, without fail. That was something I forgot in the moment."

Ros continued, "We learned from an…asset, a former Red Priestess that now works for us, that Melisandre didn't even do it correctly. However, we also learned that there is serious and significant damage to a person's soul. Despite the best efforts of the combined powers of four of the builders, Harrip died, along with the instructor, two guards, and ten cadets. It was not Harrip's fault, it was Melisandre's and mine. After that, I transferred to the Agents of the Builders and took on the most dangerous assignments I could. It was the only way I could atone. If you haven't noticed, not a single member of the Officer Corps talks to me anymore, with good reason. Captain Karsi and Colonel Ygritte tolerate me. I was in Karsi's bridal party, the three of us were the closest friends, but some things are unforgivable." Ros then turned to Arya and smiled, "Thank you for listening, Lady Arya."

Arya took Ros's hand and squeezed it slightly, though the story she had gained a new understanding of the Builders, their enemies, and of their citizens.

Later that Evening

Secret Solar of the Builders

The Red Keep

Kings Landing, The Crownlands, Westeros

Tyrion was drinking a glass of wine as Arya and Ros shot out of the fireplace. Both got to their feet quickly. Arya wiped the soot off, as Ros did the same, wincing slightly.

"Are you alright, Ros?"

Ross hugged, "If my wounds were completely healed, then someone would notice. Oh, and Daisy is dead as far as anyone south of The Wall is concerned."

Tyrion nodded, "I'll make the appropriate arrangements. How did things go after I left?"

"Things are happening in The Stormlands. Stannis Baratheon has a fire priest, Lord Harry is headed out there. What happened here?"

"I got a source in 'Ser' Lancel Lannister. He left himself in a wonderful position to be blackmailed."

Ros chuckled, "A special friend of the Queen."

Tyrion gagged slightly, "Don't remind me, please. So, Lord Harry Potter himself is headed out to The Stormlands?"

Over Stannis Baratheon's Fleet

Off the Coast of Storm's End, The Stormlands, Westeros

Lord Harry Potter was invisible on his broom. He reached out, casting magic revealing spells over the fleet. So far he had found nothing. He was deeply troubled by this, as he knew that Melisandre had to be around. He started heading back toward the coast and 'King' Renly Baratheon's camp.

At that moment, Melisandre was giving birth to a shadow baby in a cave along the coast. After all, people who live in shadow were good at hiding.

AN: Please Review!