The Prince in the North
Chapter 3 – A cold tomb
By Jamnaz79
Beta: None ?
Note: I do not own Harry Potter, Game of Thrones (Song of Fire and Ice) or anything associated with it. I can say that I would never be able to write a masterpiece like Mr. Martin does and I hope you forgive my horrible try. I also do not own the Song of Fire and Ice, Game of Thrones or anything else associated with it. I do not own Robert Jordan's wheel of time. I also make no money off of this writing. God help the person that would pay me to write as my stories are not close to being good enough to deserve to be paid for it. Then again I hope I don't do a chapter every 5 years like Mr. Martin too. But, the books are always worth the wait!
Perhaps it would be better if he stayed out of the way and away from the King. Perhaps he should keep back in the shadows away from the family and play sick during the visit. If he wasn't seen then maybe he would be forgotten.
The dark thoughts were chased away from a nip at his fingertips by the wolf pup. The nip at it reminded him of his dreams. He had dreamt of a beautiful owl of all white feathers. In his dream the owl would nip at the fingertips of Harry for pieces of bacon. The wolf pup now nipping at his fingertips brought back the memory and a smile to the boy's lips. "I know what I will name you. You will be named Hedwig."
~~~PitN~~~
Bold text = directly from Martin's work
They would be here soon. The fancy dresses, steel armor and prancing horses would fill Winterfell with hundreds of people in the King's party. The beautiful Lannister Queen and her adoring children would fill the halls for a few weeks. He should be up there with his family ready to welcome them. He should be standing behind his cousins at the side the Greyjoy to be in the background. Instead he was down in the crypts away from the light, away from the clatter of servants rushing around or guardsman polishing armor. He was down here with his ancestors and with his mother.
If ask would Harry admit that he was scared? Yes, he would admit that honestly he was afraid of today. Fear wasn't necessary a bad thing. His Uncle once told him that fear was something that a man could draw from when he was in dark times. Fear was there at the start of a battle, it made the muscles tighten and the blood race. It was fear at a joust that gave knights clarity on their charges. Fear that now had Harry walking through the crypts towards is mother's resting place.
There were two places that he always felt at home when in Winterfell. Sure he was loved and cared for. Even his Aunt Catelyn always treated him with warmth just as much as she showered her own children. But, he felt right and truly himself when he was in the godswood or the crypts. When he needed to get away, when the burning in his chest grew too story or the need to be alone too powerful he would come here or the godswood and feel at peace.
Harry knew he was different than his family. He had felt it and knew that he was unique. Perhaps it was the dragon blood in him that mixed the fire of the Targaryens with the ice of the Starks. He had figured out what happened to the assassin was not a fluke. He could do things when his emotions took control. When he was young he rarely became upset, supposedly he was always a mild mannered child. But, the few times he would strange things would happen. Windows would crack; a plate would fall off of the table when he would cry. Once Old Nan swore she locked up his favorite toy, a stuffed bear, which found its way into his crib.
For a long time Harry wasn't certain how he was different but he finally understood. Three years ago his dreams had started up. They were dreams of him but they were not him. He was a boy with the same dark hair but short and scruffy as if the wind had blown it in every direction at once. His eyes were the deep green, so bright with life and light that their sparkle could make an emerald jealous. His visions or dreams often never made sense to him. Sometimes he would be in a castle, a place where he could feel the hum of magic like the godswood or crypts. Other times he was riding a broom of all things flying above the trees chasing a piece of gold. Many times he would forget the dreams or wake up screaming from a nightmare.
It was also three years ago when the pull for the crypts began. He always felt the need to be around the cold dark of the crypts. Out of the corner of his eye when he would visit weekly he would sometimes see things. It was almost as if the spirits were restless and would appear. They would be gone in an instant but a different one would appear a different day. Once or twice he fell asleep before the statue of his mother only to awaken feeling fingertips run through his hair. Unfortunately whenever his eyes would open the feeling would fade away and nothing would be there. Still despite the cold, he always felt warmth enter his body burning at the core of his being when he was in the crypts.
Harry was a tall lad for his age. He would not be perhaps as big as King Robert was according to stories but he was already at five and a half foot in height. His shoulders were slender with a wiry bit to his frame. The boy grew up with a love of knowledge hidden in books that changed to learning the arts of a knight after his eighth birthday. He had read in a book where his father Prince Rhaeger had loved books and knowledge but had himself changed to become a great knight. That is when his goal was born to someday become a knight far greater than even his father ever was.
He was fine at the lance and the horse. Unfortunately he never got his mother's talent for riding. It was claimed that she rode like she was born to the saddle. Still he was better than Robb and Greyjoy with the sword and his skill with the bow were becoming legendary in the North. He had learned a trick from one of his father's liegemen when he visited. The liegeman, Howland Reed, was closer to him than any other of the Lords of the North. He had at once taken to Harry when he came to visit and each time he would give suggestions to the boy like how to concentrate his strength and focus his mind. Howland taught him the key to archery and it seemed to control his power was to focus his mind to the point that all else left it. It had taken a year but Harry had learned the trick was to project a flame into his mind. Into this flame he fed his anger, love, passion, all emotions, thoughts and feelings. He left himself with a focused mind on his surroundings and task at hand. When he did this he could hit the bullseye of any target. What is more interesting is that when he did this he could feel in his chest a burning power. A power that needed and wanted to be unleashed, it was the same feeling that Harry had felt the night of the assassin. It was all thanks to Howland Reed.
Howland Reed, according to what Harry had been told this was the man that found his Uncle holding him and his mother on her deathbed. The small man had once been saved by his mother when he was younger form an attack. It had actually been Howland that had suggested to Lord Eddard his name. His mother had never passed on what was to be his name before her death. It was custom in the north to normally wait to name a child till after two months to make certain the babe would survive.
Harry stopped before the statue of his namesake. Harrison Stark had been the great-great grandfather of Lord Eddard. He had led the north through the great winter a few centuries ago. It was supposedly a time so dark and dreary and cold that men would freeze to death in their very halls. The snows were so high that the eclipsed the walls of Winterfell. The small folk were decimated in number and people went starved from lack of food. Lord Harrison was not talked about in the Stark history much because it had been dark days and times. He had made decision that most found disgusting and were not spoken of in good company. Harry had read that he actually put out the older folks from hearth and home to the cold. He had sent south children from the North because they were no food for them. It was a time of uprising and war from beyond the Wall, there were battles during his reign with a supposed King beyond the Wall. Lord Harrison had stood tall against these challenges and almost bankrupt House Stark with purchasing food from Highgarden and the free cities and funding a war by the Night's Watch when the King had no care to do so.
He had been a hard man and his face carved into the statue with multiple scars and a missing left ear showed the times were tough. Harry hoped to someday become a man that could make the difficult decisions.
It was at his statue that often Harry would come to try to practice what he remembered from his dreams. He had some successes and some failures. Harry was able to change some of the old iron blades to sharpen them with a touch and his will. He even made some of the blades float or move to him at his will. He had once turned a rat into a marble goblet. That goblet still sat next to the headstone of Lord Harrison's resting place. That is not to say all of his work had been a success, try as he might he could not bring back that strange neon green spell again. But, he would remember how someday.
Today though was not a day for practice, it was a planned out day. He went to his mother's resting place to sit and wait. With him he had two goblets along with two skins of the best wine he could steal from the kitchens that had been for tonight's feast. He had two bouquets of blue winter roses. One he knelt down and placed before the statue of his mother. He gently placed the old dead roses, black and blue petals to the side. A soft kiss was placed on the cheek of his mother's statue then he sat down to wait. The heart tree had whispered to Harry that he must be here, he was not told why only when and where. So he listened, the tree was sacred, it was the voice of the children, the guide of the people of the North. He was a Stark and a child of the North so it was his obligation to listen.
Harry heard the rumble of a carriage above, and the sounds of the living still he waited. He ignored the thought to see the knights and ladies that might have arrived. Sure he would love the chance to meet and greet a few of those beautiful ladies of the court but there would be a time for that later. It did not take as long as he thought before he heard the voices of his Uncle and another man.
A loud thump was heard almost as if a man had hit his own stomach, then the voice of the second man called out. "And the girls Ned! I swear, women lose all modesty in the heat. They swim naked in the river, right beneath the castle. Even in the streets, it's too damn hot for wool or fur, so they go around in these short gowns, silk if they have the silver and cotton if not, but it's all the same when they start sweating and the cloth sticks to their skin, they might as well be naked."
His Uncle seemed not to comment at the excited deep tone of the other man instead he merely spoke up, "Your Grace. She is down at the end, with Father and Brandon."
Harry glanced up and followed the light of the Lantern weave through the darkness of the crypt. He could feel the heat of the fire in the cold domain the crypts, the murmurs that he could almost hear whispering from the stones grew silent with the coming of light and life into the area.
It was hard to say who was more startled King Robert or Harry at the sight of one another. Still the boy was trained well and bent knee at once lowering his head from the gaze of the man. Before him rested the goblets, wine and roses that his mother so loved. King Robert was not the tall powerful man of Uncle Eddard's stories. Instead it seemed that time had caused him to grow fat and old. There was salt and pepper in the man's beard and rolls on his stomach. Where once was a man that had stood against Harry's father on the trident now was a fat King with the smell of too much perfume.
The eyes of Lord Stark widened in surprise at the sight of his nephew. He had wondered where the boy had gone to as he had planned to introduce him to Robert at the meet and greet of the children as was proper but he could not be found. He should have known that of all days that the boy would be visiting his mother today, it was the same day every week that he would come here for hours to talk to her. He noticed that the youth must have considered that King Robert would want to visit Lyanna as he had thought to bring wine for the King. He almost noted that the sword normally on the hip of the boy rested against the wall carefully out of reach so there would be no misinterpretation when they met. Not for the first time in his life Eddard wondered if his nephew wasn't too smart for his own good. Still he recovered enough to speak up, "Your Grace, may I introduce you to my nephew and child of Lyanna, Harrison Rickard Stark, and my Squire."
King Robert looked down on the child kneeling before him with more than a bit of surprise. The boy looked exactly like his mother. He had the same bone structure on his face, the same chin, nose and hair was a mirror image. When the Squire looked up it was only then that the image was broken by the eyes were of his old foe. A foe that in his dreams he killed a hundred times every time but it was still not enough for taking his Lyanna from him. Still the young man smiled and he could see the smile of the woman of his dreams in that smile. If things had been different this boy could have been his son. He understood now why Ned forced him to keep the boy alive. This was Lyanna's dying wish, her legacy. He was startled from his thoughts as the boy spoke up, "Your Grace, thank you for honoring my mother and visiting her so soon after your hard ride. I had been told how honorable a man you were by Uncle many times. This only proves it, as only a true knight and King would visit a loved one even on the brink of exhaustion."
Harry was doing his best to make a good impression. From the look that King Robert gave him it seemed he had indeed done so. It could also have been the fact that his nerves had driven him to see the void of emotions. By clearing his mind due to his fears that this could be his last day if things went poorly, Harry found the void and laced his words with magic. It would be unnoticed by either King Robert or Eddard the unconscious charm effect of the young man's words had on them both. In both of their eyes they could not help but see the resemblance to their lost sister/love.
"Thank you for the kind words. Your name is Harrison? You are a smart lad and good squire to think to bring wine to quench his lord's thirst!" Robert laughed richly at his own joke shaking his belly. He didn't notice the sigh that escaped the lips of Ned.
Harry stood up and poured the two goblets of summer wine. There was no need to chill the skins as the cold always lingered in the tombs. He carefully handed the goblets over to the King first then to his Uncle. "My family calls me Harry your Grace. I am just lucky that my Lord Uncle has been kind enough to look after me as a Squire even though he has Squire Greyjoy."
A calculating look came over the King at the statement as he sipped the good win. The thought that Lyanna's son serve as his squire appealed to him. Not to mention that the idea of the last boy with Targaryen blood in Westeros serve as his squire might be fitting. Damn, it was good wine, not what he had been drinking on the ride here through the bitter wasteland that was the North, "He is resourceful it seems, does he know the bow and sword? Is he good on the hunt?"
Lord Stark lips broke into a smile, "The boy always insults his host on the hunt, he is far better than I am with the bow than any others and he knows it. Harry may be the best in the entire North with a bow in his hands. He always seems to take down a boar or stag. Hell I once saw him shoot three geese on the wing one after another before they could break away."
"Is that true boy? You are the best with the bow in the North? I could perhaps win a few dragons off of you." Robert tipped back his goblet with a hearty laugh. The idea of perhaps showing up some of his entourage with the boy's skills seemed to appeal to him.
"I am always up for a bet your Grace. May I make a suggestion?" Harry smiled brightly towards the King and his Uncle. He knew if he lost control of his emotions he would be worried senseless but here was a possibility he couldn't pass up. He saw the nod from the King and spoke up just as he refilled the man's goblet, "Perhaps you could have a small demonstration of archery myself against two or three others. It might be a good chance for you to make a few dragons. If I win I would ask a small favor."
Robert looked towards Ned and raised an eye; the boy was daring just like his mother had been. Then the King turned his gaze back towards the boy in consideration, "What might be this favor you ask of me?"
"I would like the chance to become your Squire my Lord." The words were a surprise for his Uncle judging by the reaction. At the same time it seemed that King Robert was not surprised at the request almost as if the man had already been thinking of it.
"You would have to leave us then Harry and travel to King's Landing. I doubt you want to live there so far from home." Ned added quickly with a frown touching the corners of his lips. He did not want to have his nephew embroiled into the affairs of southern lords. He might be a smart boy and had potential but there would be many there that would try to use him and some that might even seek to harm him due to his heritage.
"He would not need to leave his kin Ned. There is a reason that I came all the way to these lands and you know it was not just to visit." King Robert spoke up at once turning his gaze towards Eddard. Harry stepped back holding the wineskin, keeping silent knowing that this talk that might be hinted out by those words was not his place to be a part of.
"I am not sure what you mean your Grace." Eddard spoke up in return.
"Damn you for this your Grace crap Ned, If I heard that once more I will have your head on a spike. We are more to each other than that." Robert interrupted before Lord Eddard could continue. He tossed back his wine which Harry quickly refilled for the man. It seemed that the King could outdrink a giant the way he went through the skins. The King let out a sigh, "I had planned to wait a few days but you are too blasted serious. I need good men about me. Men like Jon Arryn. He served as Lord of the Eyrie, as Warden of the East, as Hand of the King. He will not be easy to replace. I have need of you Ned."
"I am yours to command Your Grace. Always." Lord Eddard Stark spoke up and from his viewpoint Harry could see he was nervous. It was almost that the man knew what was to come and dreaded it. His Uncle loved the North; he was the wind and the winter. He was the marshes and the rolling hills, the fields at harvest and the heart trees of the godswood.
"I want you at my side again Ned. I want you down in King's Landing, not up here at the end of the world where you are no damned use to anybody." The King frowned and glanced around the statues of the Stark Lords with a sigh. Harry kept silent just watching a momentous occasion. How many people could say they were there when a man became the Hand of the King? The second highest office in the lands of Westeros would be held by his Uncle! He was so lost in thoughts of the possibilities that he missed the two men speaking. He did refill his Uncle's goblet ending one of the skins as even though Lord Eddard rarely drank it seems that he needed one now.
Harry watched as his Uncle dropped to one knee as King Robert's voice called out through the chamber, "Lord Eddard Stark, I would name you the Hand of the King. Even more Ned, we should have been brothers. I should have been wed to Lyanna. Our Houses would have been one if that took place."
King Robert continued with a glance at him in the corner, he could almost feel the thoughts of the man over the what if situation. The boy smartly kept quiet letting the King continue, "I would change that. You have a girl close in age to my boy. We will have them wed when the time is right. We shall be family finally."
Lord Stark blinked a few times in surprise at the announcement not only for his offered position but the possibility of Sansa marrying the crown prince. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Robert.
"I know you need to talk to your blasted wife. I can see it in your grey eyes." Robert waved it off for the man; even after all of these years he could read his friend like an open book. He instead motioned towards Harry, "Go and get that tourney grounds setup before it is dark. If you beat three champions then I will take you as my Squire."
The face of the young man lit up with excitement. Harry bowed quickly to the King then towards his Lord Uncle then sprinted down the stones. He heard the laughter of the King and his Uncle echo down the halls and knew it was because he left so quickly. He took a quick swig of the wine himself to calm his nerves before he burst from the tombs to organize everything. There would only been two hours of daylight left since the days were growing shorter and he better hurry it up.
~~~ PitN ~~~
The Courtyard had four archery targets setup. There were lines drawn in the sand as markings for fifty, one hundred than one hundred and two paces away from the targets. On the sides of the field were lined up knights, squires, free riders and others to watch the display. The servants had brought out a large chair for his Majesty and the Queen to sit in to enjoy the show. At their side were a chair set up for the Lord and Lady Stark and the children of both families.
Harry found himself in the middle of the field holding his bow in his hands. He smoothed over the carved bow drawn from weirwood and crafted into a work of art. The bow was etched with carvings of the North along the sides, Winterfell, the wall, the godswood and mountains. It had been a gift from Howland Reed, and was unique as normally Weirwood never was crafted into a bow. It was comforting to feel it in his hands and relaxing to know its weight.
He glanced over the gathering as the nobility made their bets and readied themselves. Seeing the servants run back and forth with notes of bets and skins of wine and food, he knew it would be a bit of time before the start of the match. He figured to have a bit of fun himself. Hoisting his longbow in his left hand he plucked out a pale blue winter rose from tunic pocket that he kept ready placing them into his right hand. Taking a deep breath to center himself he strode boldly over towards the Queen seats. Harry knew that his presence started to draw the eye of many, including the Kingsguard. After all a man walking towards the Queen and King with a boy strung, even if he left his arrows back at his spot was something to watch. He noticed the careful eye of Her Majesty on him as he stepped forward to before the Princess Myrcella Baratheon.
Princess Myrcella at the age of eleven truly took after her mother in terms of beauty. Though very young she had bright green eyes with curly locks of golden hair falling down to mid back. Her cheekbones were fine with a delicate nose and pouty lips. Harry waited a few feet from her till her attention was drawn to him. When he had her attention he lowered into a deep bow before the Princess and gently held out the winter rose, "My beautiful Princess, my lady mother always favored this flower. It is said to be the most beautiful found in the North. On this day I have found a new flower that tops it in beauty. Would you honor my humble request to wear it in your hair so I may dedicate this victory to you?"
A distinctive snort was heard from Greyjoy from a little ways off while he filled the King and Lord Stark's goblet. There was no sound from Robb who was seated next to the Princess, but Harry knew that his cousin's eyes were on him for that moment, the question was with what emotion. He could tell the Queen had drawn her attention from her conversation with his Aunt to watch her daughter and himself. A small smile that could mean many things graced her lips, unfortunately since he did not know her facial expressions well he had to judge she perhaps approved.
The most important individual at the moment though was silent. The Princess looked at the rose offered having not had one given before in public. Normally she was not the first person that attention was drawn to; her older brother the Crown Prince normally would be given a lot of attention. That was not to say she did not receive any attention from her mother and Uncles, still it was not the same as an offered rose in public from a handsome young man.
A small smile, but to Harry it seemed to be a genuine one lit up the girls face. Her attention which had been focused before on his cousin Robb was now centered on himself. He felt the presence of the Kingsguard before Ser Selmy Barristan stepped forward to take the rose. The young girl's voice was calm, clear and beautiful to his ears, "Thank you kind Squire. May the Seven favor you with a victory today."
The dark haired young man bowed politely before the Princess then turned on his heel to walk back towards his station to wait for the start of the contest. He could feel the gaze of the Princess hot upon his back and the gaze of a few others lingering on him in consideration. When he reached his spot he closed his eyes and started to center himself. He let the fear, trepidation and other emotions slowly burn away into nothing until only him and target remained.
Harry was in such a zone that never heard the announcement of his three opponents. He may have gasped and sweated if he knew that Ser Arys Oakheart and Ser Jamie Lannister both of the Kingsguard were two of his opponents and the third was his Ser Jory Cassel. If he knew these little facts he may have lost his nerve. Instead he simply ignored the sound of the crowd, the clink of gold to concentrate on the arrow and the target.
The first release took place and he knew his aim was perfect. The arrow pierced the target in the dead center causing startled clapping and more than a few groans from the visiting nobility. If Harry had looked he would have seen the superior smirk grace the lips of the Crown Prince as if the boy could do better.
After the first strike, Ser Arys Oakheart was out of the competition and the other stepped back to next marker. Harry glanced once towards the Princess and noticed he eyes were locked onto watching him. He gave his best smile to the girl and tapped his hair where the rose he gave her now resided. Again the young squire did not glance at his opponents as he readied for the next strike to take place. He raised his bow and concentrated on the target. He could feel the slight drifting of the wind, the taste of salt on the wind as the meat roasted in the kitchens for dinner. Harry could feel the wood of the arrow almost singing to him along with the target doing the same. He pulled the arrow back to against his cheek before letting it loose. He did not look at the target as he turned and walked to next interval. He knew he had hit it perfectly.
The last spot was the farthest and hardest to hit. Still, he had done it a thousand times before and knew today would be no different. Harry turned back as he felt a hand on his shoulder and found Jory staring at him, "Good luck Harry, and show the Lion what a wolf can do."
The dark haired boy blinked his light purple eyes a few times before he turned to look at his opponent. When he did he froze up, before him shining like the coming of dawn itself was Ser Jamie Lannister the Kingslayer. The knight that was renowned as one of the greatest in the Seven Kingdoms and here he was shooting against that man. For a moment he couldn't breathe as fear clutched him tightly. He had expected he was facing off against some archers not against the Kingsguard.
Harry blinked a few times trying to clear his thoughts. His gaze turned towards the stands lingering on his Uncle and Aunt. Lord Eddard had a stern expression to most but those that knew him could see the pride shining in his eyes. Lady Stark smiled at him and nodded her head towards him. His gaze glanced at his cousins; little Bran and Rickon were both bouncing in their seats in excitement. Arya looked like she wanted nothing in the world but to join her brothers but was kept firmly in place by her septa while Sansa seemed to be staring mooning over the Crown Prince. His eyes slowly drifted back to the Princess who now was smiling brightly in his direction. He bowed his head respectfully towards her then turned his gaze back to the target.
In truth it didn't matter who his opponent was, he was only to face against the target. No matter what happens you can control only what you do not what your opponent does in archery. Harry whispered softly a trick saying that Jory used often, "I am a leaf in the wind."
While he never figured out what it meant it was something to concentrate on. Again the young man slipped his mind into the void ignoring all thoughts and concerns while he raised his bow at ready. He felt the string of the bow become taunt as he pulled back the arrow to rest against his cheek to await the signal. When it came he released watching the arrow fly straight till it was dead center of the target. A quick glance showed him that Ser Jamie was slightly off target, a smile spread over the lips of Harry as the realization set in. He had won, he had won the bet!
Author Note: I don't want to spoil folks into thinking that updates will come this quickly always. I just had this outlined already and I couldn't get it out of my mind this morning at the beach. So here is the next chapter. I hope this explains a bit more of Harry's magic. Yes the flame and void is from Robert Jordan's amazing work, I was sad to find there was very little stories for the wheel of time on here. Perhaps after I finish this and desert prince I could do one in Mr. Jordan's world. I highly recommend his books, if Martin is the King of modern fantasy writers I would say Mr. Jordan was the Cardinal. Some may notice I made Myrcella a few years older to draw her closer in age to Harry. I am not certain of the pairings but I wanted to consider her as a possible match. That doesn't mean that even if I do put Harry with her eventually he will not have fun along the way. I expect him to enjoy the continent of Westeros. I can't believe we already broke one hundred favorites and followers. Thank you everyone that is enjoying the works and I really appreciate any opinions (pm) and reviews. As always please let me know your thoughts.