Chapter Eighteen
…
One Week After the Decision to colonize Sea Dragon Point
"This unfortunately, would be the exact opposite of the Narrow Sea my lady. I think you are misinformed," Maester Mellon says making the twitching in Delianah's eyes increase.
"Let that be the last time that I make a decision without double checking things first," she mentally grumbles to herself before looking once more at the positioning of Sea Dragon's Point at the North.
After her rather abrupt "test" (more like gleaning of information from Myrcella), she had responded to the letter of Lord Stark via messenger (since Ravens could not brave the outside storm of snow beyond Harrenhal's borders) about the plot of land that would serve as payment for the goods that the North purchased for her. Color her surprised that when she once more reviewed the things that would be needed for the colonization and she founded out that Myrcella got the map inverted in her head.
Sea Dragon Point is not at the edge of the continent facing the Narrow Sea; rather it is at the exact OPPOSITE of the Continent.
She almost screamed to herself in frustration. The very point of a port which Harrenhal and its controlled lands are lacking currently is a port of their own that connects directly to the Sea. Sure they have Portsmouth that connects via river to the Bay of Crabs then to open water. However while the longships can make the trip easy, the rest of the larger ships carrying goods and payment back cannot due to the narrow crossing of the river. It's basically a highway for longships only, something that a trading center like Harrenhal is slowly becoming and it is not good.
Still she cannot wholly blame Myrcella for making a mistake about her geography. The princess' time after all is split between studying about the hundred and one houses of Westeros, learning what is expected of her as princess of the realm, and that's not counting the "basic educational classes" that Delianah asks to be mandatory for all growing children here at Harrenhal. It is basically the basics science, math, language, health and sanitation, values, Physical Education and the such. Things that normally are taught at elementary levels back home.
Normally the Maesters would never allow such prolific sharing of knowledge but with Harrenhal's borders locked down tight due to magic and everyone that calls itself its citizens high drunk on loyalty potion information can be rather sparse, or impossible to get out. Even Maeser Mellon who personally dislikes her decision about implementing education to the common people would rather saw off his own arm than betray her.
As for Myrcella, she is only six and does not have the life hack cheat that Delianah has, (mind reading and magic). In fact Delianah knows that once the magic part of her is removed, Myrcella would beat her intellectual wise. It is not surprising that with everything that she has been learning, the small princess missed the little fact that her information about the contient is inverted. Besides, Delianah can never truly get mad of those puppy eyes.
"What to do though?" she mentally asks wordlessly gesturing for Maester Mellon to put instead the large map of the North at her table.
Her eyes wandered to the familiar chokepoint of Moat Cailin. For a passing minute she seriously considered messaging Eddard Stark about rearranging her proposal about Sea Dragon Point and choosing Moat Cailin instead. It is a fortress after all and control the only passageway North. If she holds it, she can toll it to hell and back and no one would protest (she personally discards it though since it's so Frey-like behavior). The lands around Moat Cailin are almost the same as that of Sea Dragon Point. Surely she can bribe the Lords of the North with some Delianite to make them cave.
The more pragmatic part of her knows though that that idea of taking possession of Moat Cailin would be nothing more than a dream for her. The Northeners are a stubborn lot, and despite their rather bad maintenance issue of the ancient stronghold, they would never give it up. Why should they after all? The fortress might be in a delipitated state but it still controls the road North and any army from the South would still find it near impossible to break down. No, they will never give it up for any amount of gold, especially from a Southener. She knows she cannot simply bamboozle the Northern Lord into falling into her demands. The damned Northeners are stubborn enough that she fears that confundus charm or even Imperius Curse might be thrown off. Mind Influencign magic is after all the trickiest in the field of magic. If Lord Stark is wise, he would assign it to one of his sons to inherit.
Back at her problem though, she's stuck with Sea Dragon Point at the moment. Short of doing a Magellan and circumnavigating the world, she could see no solution at her current predicament.
"Unless of course I make the solution myself," the answer is pathetically obvious to her that Delianah laughs out loud without warning making Maester Mellon back off in surprise and no small amount of fear thanks to the hysteria lacing her laugh.
"I've been stuck too much here in this land that I almost forgot that when there's no way out, Magic will forge the way!"
…
Winterfell, the North
Powerful gusts of wind buffeted the ancient castle of the Starks and the lands surrounding it. Visibility is zero and below. The only people moving both at Winterfell and Wintertown are the poor guards who earned the Master-at-Arms ire one way or another, the odd farmer carrying what little produce it could add to the inventory of food at Winterfell, and the usual die hard merchant caravans that brave the winters here at the North in order to get the supplies of food to the different keeps and castles from trading cities like White Harbor and Wintertown .
With the weather as bad as it is, this forces the majority of the people to skulk inside their keeps and homes. In the case of the Starks, they stayed inside the main keep of Winterfell where the heat of the warm springs under the castle at least drives off the worst of the cold. Other than the biting cold and the freezing temperature, the next enemy of said residents of the Keep is hunger. However with the "miracle grain" as the locals of the North is now calling rice present, the next enemy is boredom.
"Hyah! The sound of wooden swords sparring can be heard as two boys duke it out on the now cleared main hall of the keep. Surrounding them are the majority of the male folk that usually runs the castle cheering as the two batter each other black and blue. Of course seeing that the two whacking each other are boys of the age of six and seven, the bets lean into who can take the most beatings before finally either collapsing or losing their cool and jumping their opponent.
"The boys are learning patience my lord," comments Sir Rodrik to Eddard Stark making the Warden of the North smirk as Jon ducks over a sideward swipe of Robb before counterattacking. The two knows only simple sword strikes at the moment but it is obvious that they have potential for this certain skill.
"They do have potential. They are of my blood after all," he answers while mentally thankful that neither of the two inherited the famous wolfsblood that plagued both his siblings. He can recall how unhappy and restless both Brandon and Lyanna when cooped at the Keep during Winter. Jon and Robb are thankfully more composed and Sansa prefers more to listen to the Septas stories rather than participate in the more handsy stuff that her older brothers do.
T
"Ned!" the sharp tone of Catelyn makes both men turn. Eddard who have known Catelyn enough knows of course that his lady wife is using her less than happy tone that always leads to an argument. Ser Rodrik sensing the danger also hastily makes a retreat making Ned glare at the back of the knight joining the betting pool.
"Traitor!"
"Ahem, Ned, dear husband. What is this?" for someone a lot smaller than him, the tone of his wife already gives Ned the worrying thought that he'll be sleeping outside of his room again.
Turning to face her, Ned's eyes immediately notice the letter on her hand and he mentally kicks himself for leaving it at the top of his table instead of hiding it in the drawer.
"Cat I-,"
"Don't you Cat me!" her voice is like a whipcord making Ned give off a small whine more like a puppy rather than the ferocious direwolf that is the sigil of his house.
"She is a bastard Ned! A legitimized bastard but a bastard nevertheless!" she hisses like a locomotive making the men down on the betting pool to turn at the new source of entertainment. "Her very presence undermines that of Edmure at the Riverlands and she's a sin on itself! How can you sell her land from the North?!"
Eddard gives off a large mental sigh. This has been a point of contention between him and Catelyn. His lady wife doesn't like very least the presence of her younger sister down at the Riverlands. At first she had been rather quiet about it, when the news was first given before. However when the Lady Delianah started making waves, suffice it to say that the Tully in his house did not take such victories of her sister lightly. First she complained about her not being "lady-like" then the legitimization, after that about bastards usurping lands that do not belong to them then the next and the next and the next.
"…..and the Riverlords don't like my brother because of her presence! It is bad enough already that we are buying food from her when we should be buying from my father! What are you thinking paying her with land Ned?!"
Ned rubs the splitting headache growing inside his skull. "As I've said before, as I've said a hundred times my lady. The North can't pay for all of the rice that we ordered. That's why we have to bargain with land if we plan to get a shipment for their next harvest in the coming two months,"
"The Riverlands could-," she begins only for Ned to cut her off.
"-not cover the needs of the entire North!" Ned replies sternly. "The Greyjoy Rebellion damaged a lot of your father's lands Cat. Even now they barely have enough to survive themselves, much less sell to us,"
"The Reach-,"
"-prices are six times that of the ones the Lady of Harrenhal is selling. We would be so heavily in debt that we would be paying not only taxes to the Iron Throne but also spend the next three years paying for the first shipment "ONLY!" of the grain we might order from them. That's not counting the fact that they also like the Riverlands are hit hard by the Ironborn. Compared to the interest rates of the Reach, Delianah's payment of Sea Dragon Point is fair and would not harm the North in the long run,"
"But she's a bastard Ned! A monster born from sin!" hisses Catelyn throwing the letter to the floor. "She has no right to act natural born or gain the benefits of one. The gods have already dictated her position in this life and I'm telling you Ned, one day she's gonna get it and those that allow her to do so,"
Ned simply doesn't know how to answer. Compared to the North, the South can be more brutal to bastards. Sure, bastardry might not have a good reputation here in the North, but compared to the South? It is almost mild. The Faith of the Seven especially makes emphasis of bastards as beings of sin and lust, a manifestation of all that is wrong in the world.
Good mother or not, Catelyn Tully is a Southener.
"Cat, I'm telling you that she-," Ned never manages to finish his words as without warning a powerful tremor nearly throws him off his feet. If not for his quick reaction on holding unto the high seat, Ned might have face planted. As it is, the others inside the keep are not so lucky. Stones fall as the more loose parts of the keep break down. More than one guard is crushed by falling debris from the ceiling. Ned looks frantically at his sons at the hall. Thankfully Ser Rodrik have pulled the two off and are hiding now at the bottom of a large table.
"NED!" the panicked cry of Catelyn makes Ned turn towards his wife who has curled up at the side near the fireplace hugging her knees to herself.
The shaking continues hard and it takes all of Ned Stark's control to drunkenly jog towards his wife. He almost lost his feet multiple times on the few feet that he needs to cover. The very earth seems to be groaning as the shaking continues and the last few steps are tricky as he almost eats dust in the fire place beside his crying wife.
"Come on! We need to go outside!" he shouts at his wife who simply nods in negative making Ned grit his teeth.
"Come on woman, we need to go or else we will buried with the entire castle!"
"I can't!" she wails shaking off his hand.
"LET'S GO!" he roars pulling her to her feet despite the shaking towards the main doors. He knows of course that they need to go outside. That's the best place they can go to be the safest.
Maester Luwin bless his soul has already pushed the wide doors open, the gusting winds of Winter getting in greedily finally. Some of Winterfell's servants are already out on the open ground stumbling drunkenly as the entire earth shakes and groans. Ned on the other hand is simply pleased that Septa Mordane is already out carrying on her swaddling clothes a baby Arya with Sansa and her friend, Jeyne Poole already outside hugging the ground and decked in furs.
"Get everyone out! Out everyone!" Ned shouts as the entire keep rumbles even more with the earthquake showing no signs of stopping but actually increasing in strength.
Thankfully the rest of the people inside the hall are able to keep their wits with them as they all trush through the large open door of the keep choosing winter over falling rocks. Sure more than one lost their feet and have to be hauled and dragged by their companions but they manage to get out which is the best thing to happen. Ned himself manage to rush out, the cold biting winds of winter cutting through his fur coverings like wet tissue.
As he face plants on the ground with the cold sapping the strength of his entire body, the shaking still continues.
….
Somewhere at the Middle of the Wolfswood
"Amazing!" Viktor watches in awe at his vantage point as it seems the entirety of the North is screaming in fury. He had always believed the prophecy of their lady and about the power and knowledge she wields. However to see her do it with his own eyes, this is the power of a god.
There Delianah stands with a large crystal gem at her right palm, both hands raised left and right. Below the very North shrieks in agony as the entire land from the White Knife river heading towards Sea Dragon Point slowly moves. A large crack is forming in the ground, river and sea water pouring through the crack connecting the North eastern part of the North to the White Knife river. The crack extends for miles creating a massive canal where even a war galley can sail with space. It basically divides the North through the middle with the canal widening already the White Knife river and extends via Castle Cerwyn, cutting through the Wolfswood and slowly extending till it reached Sea Dragon Point.
Here they are standing at a ruined tower at the Wolfswood, an ancient relic from the First Men that once lived here. He can see the entirety of the result of his lady. An entire continent changed and all because of focal point explosions using supercharged explosion runes buried deep on the ground.
As far as Viktor can understand it, Delianah wants to make use of Sea Dragon Point after the rather ill advise of Princess Myrcella. The area is a gold mine but unfortunately it is rather pretty useless due to its geographical location. Of course seeing that it would be folly to ask for another exchange of price from the North, she instead chose to make it useful the unconventional way.
After transporting them somewhere on the outskirts of White Harbor with some of his most trusted men two weeks ago, they started planting the runes in a straight line via points that their lady indicated to them. The runes would act as communication rings, accepting command and power from the main caster, basically their lady who would then wake them up.
It worked splendidly. Like a god groaning in pain, the very earth cracked when the runes were activated and Delianah used it to open the very land with extreme effort. It was not easy of course. They had to harvest almost the entirety of three hundred ghosts near a fallen bridge at Harrenhal that used to be a battlefield in order to power the supercharged runes. It was not easy work and the coordination and dedication needed was demanding and dicey. They were Green Men though and their Messiah asked them for their help and they did their work well.
Now as they see the new Canal of the North, for Lord Viktor and the Green Men, it is a miracle. A miracle that can only be achieved by their messiah who made the impossible, possible.
….
Author's Note: Hope ya Enjoy. I've been realizing there are too few magic in this story, so I said fuck it and let's cheat shamelessly ! Mwahahahaaha (evil laugh).
Next chapter will have new visitors coming for Delianah, new allies and new enemies plotting in the dark.