297 AC, Winterfell

Bran

Nothing bored Bran more than a morning lesson with Maester Luwin. The aging maester had a soft and gentle voice, a perfect tune for falling asleep. Instead of droning on about the inner workings of different houses though, Luwin decided to test Bran on his knowledge of the North.

"Which house has the sigil of a white sun over a black field?" asked maester Luwin.

" House Karstark."

" And what is the name of their seat?"

" Karhold, after their first lord, Karlon Stark."

Luwin nodded in confirmation.

" And what are their words?"

" The sun of winter."

The old man offered him a smile. " Well done, young lord. Now which house has the sigil of a giant with broken chains over a field of red?"

" House Umber. Their seat is the Last Hearth, and their words are " Break the chains." Bran sped through all the facts he knew. The sooner he can finish this the sooner he can go play with the others.

" Very good, very good. Now, how about this sigil? I remember teaching you about it last week. " Luwin held up a small canvas with a sigil on it.

Bran saw a light gray field with two maidens, one on each side, each holding a chalice. They both faced the center and poured a red liquid down into a giant oval shaped maw with a rows upon rows of sharp teeth.

" House Aenaris, of Valyrian descent. They hold dominion over the island of Skagos. They migrated from Essos during the fall of Valyria."

" And when did they swear fealty and become a vassal of house Stark?"

" During the reign of Brandon the boastful, House Aenaris started a war with the mountain clans of Skagos. They were soon out-manned, and wished for the support of the North…" Bran paused, recalling a story told to him during bed time.

" It is said that the lord Angmarr Aenaris promised his daughter's hand in marriage to Lord Brandon's first son, Walton. He claimed that she was the most beautiful woman the world had never yet seen. Lord Brandon, said to have been enamored by the spell of the Valryian warlocks, agreed. The combined forces of Stark and Aenaris soon overwhelmed the old kings of Skagos. But at the night of the wedding between Walton and his soon to be bride, He saw her face and thought it so hideous that he rode his horse all the way to King's landing."

The old maester sighed.

" Another one of old nan's stories? The truth of the matter, I'm afraid, is a lot more dull. Lord Brandon and his two sons traveled to King's landing to attend the wedding of Lord Rogar Baratheon and Lady Alyssa Velaryon. The ailing Lord Brandon passed away on his journey back to North, and Lord Walton soon rallied his forces to fight the mutinous night's watch led by the disgraced king's guard Ser Olyvar Bracken. He was later slain beyond the wall in the haunted forest.

All this happened before their marriage could be consummated. His brother Alaric, the next Lord of Winterfell married Lady Anya of house Mormont. The reason why Alaric chose a Mormont instead of an Aenaris has been up for contention. But perhaps it was both houses' wishes to not be bound by marriage. Be it Young Alaric wanting the support of other northern lords, or house Aenaris no longer wishing to meddle with the rest of Westeros."

" Old nan also said that the bride had six fingers." Bran added.

Luwin sighed again, the maester seemed to be sighing a lot recently.

" The Aenaris also practice the tradition of incest, where sisters wed brothers, and aunts married nephews, an extra finger is a known ailment of it. "

" Do they also have silver hairs and purple eyes, like the Targaryens?"

" It is not a known trait of their house, the Skagosi hardly ventured out of their land. The last Aenaris lord recorded by the Citadel was one Maeryn Aenaris, who served as an advisor to your great great grandfather, William Stark. He was described to have pale hair with a tint of silver. Though by the time he served in Winterfell, it was said that he was already an old man of sixty, so it could simply have been his age. Tell me, young Bran, what else do you know of House Aenaris?"

" They sent no men during King Robert's rebellion against the Targaryens."

" That is right. When Lord Eddard called on his banners, House Aenaris only answered with shipments of raw iron ore to the White Harbor. Once the war had been won, many Northern lords demanded a tax be put on House Aenaris, one they have yet to fully pay."

" Why are they still our bannermen then?"

Luwin raised an eyebrow. " How do you mean?"

" Why are they still our bannerman then? It seems like they want no dealings with us. They pay no taxes, send no levies, and heed to their own laws and customs."

Maester Luwin looked to the ceiling, his left hand rested by the painted sigil of House Aenaris, while his right played with his chains.

" That is a mystery, young lord. The Edge of World, written by Maester Balder of the Night's Watch, described Skagos as a dark and dreary place, full of mountains, caves, caverns. It is surrounded by Treacherous waters, and dangerous ice winds, no sane sailor would go there without a good purpose. Why would House Aenaris, a Valyrian house, move all the way from Valyria to there, years before the doom? That is a question none know. House Aenaris is not known for much, but they are known to keep their secrets."

How strange, Bran thought. The old Maester held all the wonders and mysteries of the world, but even he seemed to be stumped on the subject. For now though, he no longer wanted to think, the walls of the broken tower yearned for him. "May I be dismissed from my lessons?"

The old man smiled.

"You may."

…

Notes:

just a fun thing i am writing on the side beside the main fic. This chapter is basically just exposition and worldbuilding. There have been a lot of AU fic i read where the author simply wrote bullet points in the first chapter to just give out the raw info before the main story really starts. I feel like writing them into the story is way better, so I did.

I've seen some skagosi fics, and all of them are extremely OP and boring to me. I want to add some mystery and horror elements to the whole thing while making them not as strong. This also serve as a practice writing piece for me since I want to get better for my main fic (which also means I might not spend as much time on it)

Really did not do too much research on this fic, so if some timeline or info is off a bit, forgive me. Comments and questions welcome!