Chapter 3
-Essos, 273AC-
Eddard walked through his home which was the largest private residence in Pentos dressed in some of the finest clothes he had ever worn which has become his regular attire for some time now, it was a silver long-sleeve shirt made of pure silk that strained to contain his muscles, he wore high-quality black leather pants and boots, he wore a silver-colored silk vest that had a large black Direwolf stitched on the chest, he had Ulric's valyrian steel broadsword that he chose to call Mist strapped to his side.
He was flanked by six men in shimmering full plate armor that was made entirely of wintersteel, a white and blue cloak with a black Direwolf with silver-grey eyes stitched on the back, they were armed with a longsword and shortsword respectively along with a circular shield made of the same metal.
These men were a part of his elite forces and personal guards called Fenrir, every member of Fenrir was the best of the best from his army personally handpicked by him.
Eddard can see his banners hanging from the walls and buildings all over Pentos, the snarling black Direwolf with silver-grey eyes surrounded by snow and ice looked majestic in the moonlight, it has become the standard for Pentos as he is the ultimate authority ever since his take over of the city along with all its surrounding territories.
The plan Eddard had executed three years ago had gone off perfectly; he gained the subservience of the slaves easily enough and a few days after that the subservience of the Unsullied garrison, the slaves gave him access to the leadership of the city and they bent to his will relatively quickly with blades at their throats, the ones that resisted were wiped out to the last man, woman, and child, those families that were erased had their assets and properties turned over to Eddard without much of a struggle.
With the government under his control, it was easy for Eddard to have them fake his death to settle the average citizen's fear, and then they declared a grand celebration for the entire city to celebrate his demise.
The city of Pentos partied to their heart's content for three days and they awoke on the fourth with chains on their souls that they had no idea was there or that they had any hope of removing, everything that was provided for the celebration was laced with his blood and the more they had eaten or drunk the deeper his magic burrowed into them.
With all of Pentos city under his influence, Eddard had all other land owners or nobles all over the lands under the authority of Pentos periodically come to the city with their families, once they arrived they would be brought under Eddard's magic increasing his control, six months later all of Pentos including it's most remote territories answered to him.
With the board set Eddard got to work on molding this country into what he wanted it to be.
Eddard had all the slaves freed and they were all now paid for their services as any free citizen would be, he then increases the influence of his magic within them so he could now impart specific knowledge into their very minds, he taught them how to read and write, math, geography, history and other subjects he himself was well versed in, this process took months to ensure every single former slave received the intended knowledge after which they were also given proper Pentoshi citizenship.
The mindset of the average citizen and the nobility were molded into one that was similar to Eddard's on certain subjects such as their attitude towards slavery, this ensured that they all fell in line with all the agendas that he put forth to the ruling council.
It was not truly necessary given his control over the country but he needed everything to be legal, and proper in case anyone chose to look into the new direction Pentos was taking.
The four thousand Unsullied were who Eddard used his magic on to his greatest extent; he had them under his influence already but he needed more as they were going to serve as his main military strength, he had them undergo a more powerful blood ritual that bonded them more strongly to him, this ritual made them practically puppets with him holding their strings, he wouldn't need to influence them to make them do something all he would need to do now was say it and they will do it, they were completely subservient to his every whim.
The reward that they gained for giving away their will to him was as great as the price they paid; they gained a portion of his magic which made them stronger, faster, more resilient, with faster healing and it granted them a share of his enhanced senses including his ability to see perfectly at night, they could even take on the monstrous Direwolf form Eddard has for one night every month.
On a more personal note, they also regained what was cut off by their previous masters, this was to encourage them to procreate as all that they have gained would be passed onto any children they may have along with the oath that they have sworn to, their bloodlines will always serve the bloodline that directly comes from Eddard Stark.
Eddard trained them in the manner that Westeros trained their soldiers when they were making an army, with all the blacksmith workshops at his disposal he had armor, shield, swords, spears, arrows, and various weapons made for them out of wintersteel.
Eddard had the leadership of the city purchase twelve thousand more Unsullied from Slavers Bay during his second year and as soon as the new Unsullied arrived they were indoctrinated into the army Eddard was building, they underwent the same blood rituals and training as the Unsullied before them.
The city of Pentos flourished more than before under Eddard Stark's leadership, and with their new stance when it came to slaves in their lands they gained a greater and more profitable alliance with Braavos.
Eddard glanced at the crystalline lamps that lined the hallway of his estate and is entranced by the white glow that the ice crystal set in the lamps give off, these ice crystals can be found in every home in the city of Pentos.
It has not been a full year since Eddard had realized that he can create ice crystals that glow in the dark on a permanent basis, once he did he first presented it to the nobles of Pentos who immediately desired them for each of their households and businesses which saw Eddard making a large amount of gold from selling it to them.
They worked as the perfect advertisement for his ice crystals given all the parties they like to throw to show off their wealth to their guests, and business partners that visit from other nations, not a month after he made them for the nobles he was swarmed with offers for bulk orders of the ice crystals from representatives of the other Free Cities, it was the new must-have luxury item everybody wanted regardless of how much it cost.
Due to the trade agreement with Braavos, they were among the first nation aside from Pentos to have the glowing ice crystals in their cities, and they provided transport ships along with an armed escort for all other shipments that Eddard had to make over Essos by sea.
There was some contentious when Eddard expanded his products and started making glass, and mirrors that were much better than what was being made anywhere else in the known world, no one knew how he made them just like how nobody knew the truth behind the glowing ice crystals or the method of making wintersteel but all of Essos knew the name Eddard Stark because of it.
Eddard was quickly becoming one of the richest individuals in Essos and people were noticing.
Eddard reached the end of the long hallway and stood before two large metal doors that have his personal sigil proudly displayed on them as well, he shook his head sometimes at the need for these constant displays of his wealth that the people in Essos insists on, he doesn't complain though because the builders and craftsmen did a masterful job on his new home.
The six ex-Unsullied peeled off and took positions outside the doors that lead to his private chambers without a sound.
Eddard pushed his doors open and is immediately assaulted by the scent of different perfumes that are coming from the six scantily clad beautiful women laying on his massive bed, he closes the doors behind him as he enters.
Two of the women had silver-blond hair, fair skin, and purple eyes, they were gifts sent from Lys and were two of their best pleasure slaves.
One of the women had red hair, green eyes, and a caramel skin tone, she was a pleasure slave from Tyrosh who was also sent as a gift.
One of the women had blond hair, blue eyes, and fair skin, and like the others, she is a pleasure slave from a Free City specifically Myr.
The last two women in his bed had dark hair, brown eyes, and olive skin tone and were former pleasure slaves from Pentos.
Four of the women in Eddard's bed are from foreign countries sent as gifts but in reality are sent to spy on him, so that they may learn his secrets or to kill him, both tasks that they failed at not a week in his bed as Eddard doesn't trust easily or at all if he is honest with himself.
He learned of their orders easily enough and it took him one serious conversation with these women to turn them to his side, he of course undergo the blood oath if they wished to continue sharing his bed which they did.
As Eddard enjoyed his night with these beautiful women he is glad he didn't kill them for he can say that earned the high price one had to spend for just a few hours of their time.
He makes sure they all are drinking moon tea to prevent any possible pregnancy, he has no plans to permanently remain in Essos as his true home will always remain the North.
The next morning Eddard's estate was abuzz with activity, the household staff was constantly moving around getting things ready in the time frame they were given, and the four thousand members of Fenrir are lined up in the massive courtyard of his estate primed and ready to march.
The city of Pentos was also abuzz with activity similar to the estate as the army was being mobilized to march that very same day, the order for the mobilization of the military forces had come from Eddard Stark in the early morning hours and no time was wasted asking why the order was issued, they all just followed it.
While all this was going on Eddard was in a secluded part of his estate that held a massive glass garden that took up a fifth of the overall property, the massive glass panels were made by Eddard himself and the interior of the garden was overrun with a large assortment of the different plant life from those native to Essos, and several that are native to Westeros and the North, at the center of the garden was a three meter wide and ten meters tall weirwood heart tree he grew with his magic.
He had arranged for a weirwood sapling to be sent to him on one of his trading vessels that had traveled to White Harbour several months ago, Lord Manderly was very helpful in that regard and had sent a few Northern Stallions as a gift.
Eddard was on his knee praying to the Old Gods as he was heading to his first battle as a commander of men, when he finished his prayer he rose from the ground and headed to the exit.
Eddard was decked out in full plate armor made entirely of shimmering wintersteel, the breastplate had the face of a snarling direwolf on it, the armor had bronze runes running across it, and he had a pitch-black cloak with a silver direwolf stitched on it with icy-blue eyes, Mist was strapped to his side along with a longsword made of wintersteel, there was also a wintersteel shortsword on his hip.
The large black warhorse that he got as a gift carries his weirwood bow along with his quiver of arrows and his shield.
Silverfang, Midnight, Shadow, Shade, Skrull, and Shard were wearing wintersteel armor specifically designed for them, the armor covered their heads, back, sides, and underbelly, it fits them perfectly without being restrictive to their mobility.
Six massive Direwolves in shimmering armor made a terrifyingly intimidating image to everyone that looked upon them and the fact that they flanked him as he rode through the city reminded everyone of the power he wields.
Thunderous applause from all the citizens of the city showered over him as he rode at the head of his army, he was loved unconditionally by the people of Pentos especially all the former slaves that make up the majority of the population of the country.
When he was outside the city walls Eddard saw the main body of his army some twelve thousand former Unsullied stands ready in their wintersteel armor, they were joined by four thousand foot soldiers that were made up entirely of former slaves, and his banners were held high among the men as this army belongs to him and him alone, and will not fight unless it is under his order or command.
He was leaving a garrison of around two thousand foot soldiers made of a mix of volunteers of average citizens and former slaves to guard the city.
There were around two thousand foot soldiers scattered over the various Pentoshi territories policing several areas and won't be joining the main army.
He looks at his army with pride that all great craftsmen do as they look at their work, the sixteen thousand former Unsullied came trained, and with the blood oath rituals his training of them in Westeros military tactics took little to no time given that he can just impart the knowledge directly into their minds, after that he had them train all the former slaves that freely chose to make the same pledge they made.
Those that volunteered for the city garrison were also trained but not as quickly as those that strengthens the blood oath rituals.
Eddard faced the order and the twenty-thousand soldiers marched away from the city.
The reason Eddard had suddenly mobilized the army was that he had been awakened from a greendream the previous night, the greendream showed him a massive army of over twenty-five thousand Dothraki Screamers attacking the border plantations, towns, and villages that were now under his rule.
He had received similar dreams such as this during his time in the Wolfswood which is how he always found any lost children and knew where to return them without asking them, it was also how he found the men he had hunted over the two years he lived in the woods.
So he knew to take his greendream seriously even if the attack hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't happen.
Three weeks of hard marching on foot saw them reaching the border territories two days before the Dothraki arrived, he had sent riders ahead to warn the people so that they could evacuate to the walled towns for their own safety.
Eddard scouted ahead for the Dothraki by warging into a few eagles he had brought along for that very purpose, he was able to confirm that the Dothraki numbers matched what he had seen in his greendream, and see the path they will travel before they reach his army.
The terrain favored the Dothraki cavalry and Eddard didn't want to turn this into a defensive battle, he wanted the plantations and villages protected which meant he had to face them in the open head-on.
Facing a Dothraki cavalry in the open on a flat field where they can use their mobility and numbers to the fullest extent was suicidal, and it was a sentiment all of his commanders shared.
Eddard knew this well and had no intention of participating in a losing battle, if the cavalry was the problem then the solution was simply getting rid of the cavalry.
The next night when the Dothraki made camp before the real push into Pentoshi lands Eddard chose to strike, the Dothraki had raided any settlement they had passed on their path to Pentos so as usual after a successful raid they paused to enjoy themselves with their new spoils which this time were new slaves.
Eddard lead a small team of only a dozen men close to the enemy camp and waited late into the night when most of them were asleep, drunk, or exhausted from their prior activities, with their enemy's guard down Eddard and his men moved swiftly through the night freeing all their horses that were tied to anything, with that done it was Eddard's turn.
Eddard reached out for the minds of the Dothraki warhorses and subjugated them, bringing them under his control which he then used to have them rush off to where his army was standing by.
The sound of tens of thousands of horses galloping at full speed jolted the Dothraki out of their slumber, many of them tried to stop or regain control of the horses that seemed to have gone wild but that only resulted in hundreds of them being trampled under the horse's hooves as Eddard had them run directly through the Dothraki campsite.
Eddard watched it all with a smirk atop one of the very Dothraki warhorses that he just turned against their masters, he then raised his hand, and a surge of icy-blue energy flies from his hand up into the sky before exploding, and illuminating the night for a moment before it fades away.
That was a signal to his army and not a moment later the sky was filled with thousands of arrows fired from the bows of four thousand military archers, they weren't perfect as they primarily were trained as foot soldiers but they were infinitely better at archery than the former Unsullied.
Eddard told them not to stop until they were out of arrows and given that they had brought over sixty thousand arrows it took a while before those missiles of death stopped raining down on the enemy camp.
With the archers finished with their part, Eddard sent in his sixteen thousand former Unsullied to slaughter all who remained alive regardless of who they were.
There were a few hundred Dothraki that was still alive and fit enough to fight as they charged Eddard's approaching army, they were slaughtered in mere seconds, the Dothraki may be unmatched on horseback but they are of no consequence before Eddard's soldiers, their weapons bounced off the wintersteel armor like raindrops and the wintersteel blades tore through their bones, muscles, and flesh as a knife through silk.
A few dozen Dothraki tried to run away once they saw no chance of victory but they received the worst deaths on the battlefield as they were set upon by Eddard's six massive Direwolves, they stood no chance against these apex predators that tore them limb from limb without remorse.
When the sun rose over the horizon the next morning nothing was left alive in the Dothraki campsite, corpses littered the ground and the ground was muddy with all the blood soaked into the earth turning the once brown ground red.
Eddard had carts brought forward to the mountain of corpses, the carts were filled with hundreds of saplings of dozens of different trees such as Ironwoods, Oaks, Goldenhearts, Weirwoods, and many more hardwoods, some came from his personal glass gardens or from the North, others he paid a handsome price to have them smuggled to him, what everyone saw as a mountain of corpses only good for feeding the crows but that was not at all what Eddard saw.
Eddard saw a great opportunity to both cement and strengthen his magic in Essos, there were almost thirty thousand dead bodies littering the ground and with all this death there laid power ripe for the taking, which is what he did.
He worked on his own, planting hundreds of saplings amidst the corpses over a few hours, once he was done he had his army moved back far away from the mountain of corpses leaving him alone among the dead.
He chanted an ancient spell and the ground started to shake strongly making a terrifying rumbling sound, what happened next could only be described as a forest emerging from the very earth.
The new forest span over two hundred meters in every direction, monolithic trees cover everything with their thick branches filled with vibrant leaves of almost every color, the smallest tree in this new forest was no wider than three meters and no taller than ten meters, some of the trees were wider than eight meters and taller than twenty meters.
At the center of the forest was a grove of over two dozen weirwood trees that stood over twenty meters tall, with one weirwood tree that stood over thirty-five meters tall which was at the heart of the new weirwood grove.
Eddard was at the foot of the massive weirwood tree which he climbed up a bit so that he may carve a face into it with a bronze ceremonial dagger, it took him a few hours to finish but he was so absorbed in his work he didn't feel the time pass.
The face he carved into the massive heart tree was a face of a man screaming a battle cry, red sap leaked from the eyes and mouth of the face.
Eddard prayed at this heart tree through the night without moving an inch from where he knelt, he was not only praying the entire night but he was using the time to connect the magic from this forest to the heart tree he grew in his home in the city of Pentos.
The moment the magic of both areas tied together the power amplified greatly then it sent out hundreds of tendrils of magic all over the lands of Pentos.
Eddard Stark opened his eyes the next day and he could feel his magic grow more dense and powerful within his veins, his eyes have changed as well, they now had an icy-blue ring of color permanently surrounding the natural silver-grey color, his body felt stronger as well.
Eddard could feel the magic in the very air of the forest and all of this made Eddard smirk in triumph at what he has just accomplished.
A wind blows through the forest and it seemed to embrace Eddard as a dear friend and spoke to him before the wind fades away.
Eddard closed his eyes as he listened to the wind before it fades away and when he opened them he came face to face with a tall imposing man, that seems to fade in an out of existence.
The man was over six and a half feet tall, dark brown hair, long face, steel-grey eyes, dressed in furs with a direwolf stitched on his cloak, he wore a crown on his head.
The man was the founder of House Stark, Brandon the Builder.
"Greetings Brandon, I am Eddard Stark of Winterfell," Eddard greeted his ancestor in the Old Tongue.
"I thought the true magic of the Stark's has been lost but here it stands before me, what is it you need young one?" Brandon says to Eddard in the Old Tongue.
"I seek the council of the previous Kings of Winter, to help me in my path to restore the Throne of Winter," Eddard tells Brandon his true ambitions that he has never told anyone ever.
Brandon observed Eddard for a long while before he nods his head in agreement with a feral smirk.
Eddard wore an identical smirk on his face.