"…And, of course, the Wise returned to King's Landing to mediate a trade dispute between the Free Cities of Norvos and Tyrosh. Master Benjen?"
"I thought it was Pentos and Tyrosh?" Benjen said idly.
"So you were listening." Maester Walys frowned. "What, then, is on your mind that is distracting you?"
"Won't you tell me about magical creatures, Maester?" Benjen said, sitting up straight in his chair.
"Magical creatures?" Walys looked at him. "I'm afraid I didn't study for the Valyrian steel link, young master."
"Tell me anyway, please? What kind of creatures are there, where do they exist?"
Maester Walys glanced down at his book; a history of Jaehaerys the Conciliator. "Very well. I suppose you have earned a respite. The most obvious, of course, are the dragons; they are said to have been birthed in the volcanoes of Valyria, though there are disputing claims, of course. To the far east in Yi Ti, there is a legendary creature known as the Qilin that is said to have been the favored mount of the various Emperors of Dawn. In Sothoryos, there are the lesser cousins of dragons, called basilisks…"
"Basilisks were different where I came from," said Elijah, sitting on Lyanna's chair; Lyanna seemed not to notice at all. "The King of Serpents. Could kill you with a glare, and even if you managed to avoid that, they had a venom that could kill a mammoth in minutes. Lives over a thousand years, and as long as they access to food, they'll never stop growing."
"The Greyjoys heavily feature something called a sea dragon in their myths; they may have simply been exceptionally large leviathans, which are on their own said to be magical creatures," Walys continued. "And, of course, in the North, the symbol of your house — the direwolf — is said to be a magical species. Whether they are, of course, is disputed."
"So if I wanted to find a magical creature…"
"You'd be best off reading a book," Walys said dryly. "They are mythical for a reason, Master Benjen."
"But what about the basilisks?" Benjen wondered aloud. From the corner of his eye, he could see Lyanna watching him with interest. "Dragons existed not two centuries ago, and you said they were lesser cousins of dragons. Surely they still exist?"
"Sothoryos is very far away."
"I could get you there," said Elijah, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"It's not that far," Benjen agreed, and Walys looked at him like he was insane.
"Benjen, the distance from Winterfell to Sothoryos is twice the distance from Winterfell to Sunspear. Not to mention much of the journey is an open sea. Furthermore, Sothoryos is an inhospitable place; there is little we know about that continent because there are so few survivors from that place. The journals of Nymeria of the Ten Thousand Ships claim her men succumbed to what is called the Red Death, a highly contagious and lethal disease; the Valyrian colony of Gogossos actually thrived for a century after the Doom and their downfall was again at the hands of the Red Death. Without even mentioning the other dangers!"
"I'll ask Father if I can go," Benjen decided, and Walys snorted.
"You do that, Master Benjen. At least you're less impulsive than your sister…"
"Hey!" Lyanna said.
"Don't worry about this so-called Red Death," Elijah said, crossing his arms. "Witches and wizards can't catch Muggle illnesses — ah, non-magical illnesses, that is. Even if it's a magical illness, there are precautions we can take."
"I want to go too," Lyanna said, and Benjen jerked back into reality. Lyanna crossed her arms and glared at him, as if daring him to say otherwise.
"Like Benjen suggested, ask your father," Maester Walys said. "I suppose we should hold our studies here. I can see you're both too distracted now to continue."
Benjen stood up abruptly and charged out of the door; Lyanna raised a cry and chased after him. Ducking and weaving between the servants, Benjen made his way to Father's solar. He skidded to a halt, and knocked, because even with magic, he wasn't that suicidal. Lyanna stumbled to a stop beside him, panting.
"When did you get so fast?" Lyanna muttered under her breath.
"Enter," Father called, and Benjen stepped inside.
The solar was as impressive as it always was. Furniture made of ironwood was placed around the room, the central piece being a massive desk that exuded wealth and power; behind it sat Rickard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, emanating the same invincibility as Winterfell itself. His cold grey eyes settled on the two of them; Lyanna suddenly shut up and started fidgeting. Benjen, with James' prompting, looked up and met Father's eyes.
"Father," Benjen said, and realized his mouth was suddenly very dry.
"Benjen. Is there something you need?"
"I…" Benjen licked his lips, as he fought not to shrink under Father's stern gaze. "I want to visit Sothoryos."
Rickard Stark looked at Benjen like he'd grown two heads.
"And why in the world would you possibly want to visit that hellscape?" Rickard said incredulously, his seriousness undercut by the surprise he was undoubtedly feeling.
"I want to see magical creatures, Father, and there are basilisk on Sothoryos," Benjen said. "I want — no, I need to see them. It's really important!"
Father composed himself and looked at Benjen. "Is it now," he said softly, and Benjen nodded, although far less enthusiastically than before. "Denied."
"But —"
"You said you wanted to see magical creatures?" Father gestured to the window. "Then visit the Godswood. There is a magical creature, possibly over eight thousand years old."
Benjen swallowed, and nodded. Lyanna pouted. Elijah, for his part, seemed interested in that offhand comment, and as they left the solar he disappeared and reappeared along the corridors as Benjen walked.
"Why didn't you tell me about that?" Elijah said, a hint of excitement in his voice. "Looks like our attempt at building a wand has been drastically cut short. And after that, building me a new body so I don't have to be stuck with your shitty hormonal teenaged body."
"Whatever," Benjen muttered.
"Are you just going to sit down and take it?" Lyanna said, oblivious to the mental conversation. "You just… sucked up and took it! I thought you wanted to go to wherever it was?"
Benjen gave his sister a sidelong look. "This is why Father likes me more than you."
"Does not!"
As he stepped outside, the cool wind of the North nipped at his face; he took a deep breath and made his way to the godswood. Lyanna muttered things under her breath. Benjen wasn't even sure why she insisted on coming along, since she was just going to complain about everything (as usual) so he just did his best to ignore her.
Stepping into the godswood felt like he was stepping into a dream. The azure, cloudless skies disappeared, turning into dust, blown away by the wailing wind that rushed through the trees. Skeletal branches extended in every which direction, casting looming shadows; Benjen always felt they were casting judgment on him, though not in the same oppressive way that the Seven did. Even Lyanna shut up as they walked.
At the very center of the godswood was the Heart Tree. Its blind eyes wept, its soundless mouth moaned. The longer he stared at it, the more he fell entranced; like it was drawing him through a tear in the fabric of reality, giving him an irresistible glimpse into the great unknown. If he listened hard, he thought he could almost hear it speak, whisper forgotten songs in the tongues of long-dead men.
"Oh, my," Elijah said softly, he too disinclined to break the silence. "Very impressive. It shines like a beacon in the dark."
"What do you mean?" Benjen wondered in his mind.
"Magic is asleep in this world. But this tree? It burns with it." Elijah walked towards the tree, his phantom footsteps leaving no trace of his passing in the soil. "At the same time… it's not a product of human magic. We should be careful."
"Careful?" Benjen stepped towards the tree. "Why should we be wary? The Gods have watched over us for a long time."
"And demanded sacrifice," Elijah muttered darkly. "The gods always set a price."
Benjen stood in front of the tree, looking up at its pale bark and blood-red leaves; he heard Lyanna shuffle after him. Elijah had a complicated expression on his face; he knew there was little choice to begin Benjen's journey of magic, but he definitely didn't like it.
"Do you think they'll respond?" Benjen said.
"Perhaps," said Elijah. "But I have a feeling that it would be better if they didn't."
Benjen reached out slowly, and his palm touched the bark. He was struck by a bolt of lightning; the world went white, and he faintly heard Lyanna's cry from so far away. He felt Elijah's magic wrap around him like a cloak, but the wind was freezing, and Benjen felt his fingers and toes fall away from the cold.
When he looked down, though, Benjen realized that he was flying.