"Lord Jason..." Lysa began, her eyes wide as shit as she stared at White Shadow and Nightfury, standing side by side, digging deep furrows into the earth and uprooting massive trees just be existing. The peasantry had taken a respectful distance, despite their fear. Dragons, after all, were no common sight, even when the Targaryens had dozens of them. If they had phones, they'd be taking pictures. My mental connection to Nightfury told me that the goodest boye was currently enjoying all the fearful attention he was receiving, even if I was pretty sure that most of the people here thought, quite wrongly, that White Shadow was the stronger of the two.

Lysa stared at Little-Cloud, eyes wide with both wonder and fear. Little-Cloud, to her credit, seemed just as curious about Lysa, likely not having seen another human being since the Long Night and certainly not in a non-hostile situation. "Your companion... is she a-"

I grinned and mogged, because my jaw line was sharp enough to slice through solid plate armor. "Yes, indeed. Little-Cloud here is an Other – or, at least, she used to be one before I brought her back to life and reverted her into... I guess another version of an Other, but more ancient and definitely alive."

Not that anyone could tell the difference or even knew what an Other really was, since it'd been close to ten thousand fucking years since the Long Night and humans had terrible memory. So, to just about everyone in Westeros, excluding the Wildlings, didn't believe in the Others, despite kind of distantly knowing about them through stories. So, I wasn't particularly surprised by the fear, awe, and wonder that was displayed towards Little-Cloud, who exuded this otherworldly beauty about her, like a Snow Elf. It was also very fortunate that Lysa's Household Guards were already somewhat aware of my particular brand of bullshit and so didn't do anything funny or stupid, like attack Little-Cloud or White Shadow.

Halga shrugged. It was honestly amazing how chill she was with everything about me, thus far. I'd also healed her again earlier, because she was paler than usual, which meant her body had degraded once again, something that was completely my fault, even if it was accidental. The quickest option was to kill her and then use [True Resurrection], but I did not want to do that, because Halga was a friend and killing her was... not something I was probably capable of unless the circumstances were dire or I didn't find a solution to this problem. "Not arguing with that, Jason. But how did you two come to be companions? As far as I'm aware, you disappeared mere hours ago. And you come back with yet another dragon."

"Oh," I said, shrugging. "She and her big ass dragon over there tried to kill me; so, Nightfury killed White Shadow and I killed Little-Cloud. After which, I then brought the two them back to life and, for one reason or another, swore allegiance to me, the Boner Lord of Boners- okay, I may have to come up with a new title."

Lysa and Halga raised their brows at me, obviously not understanding the modern slang. But, I suppose, that wasn't the part that really caught their attention, no. I suppose, what really caught their attention was the fact that a huge motherfucking dragon and an Other tried to kill me, which – I suppose – was more important than by title of Boner Lord of Boners.

"Who sent them?" Lysa's eyes narrowed. Despite her fear, Lysa Mormont looked just about ready to square up with Little-Cloud, who did not understand the shift in tone at all and just kind of stood there, ignoring everyone. Even Halga appeared visibly on edge, though she displayed no aggression or willingness to do violence. Instead, like Lysa, Halga looked ready to engage Little-Cloud in a fistfight.

I smiled and stepped forward, and placed myself between the three women in my life – would've been four if Meera Stark and her hot-damn hips were here. "Would you believe me if I said that the Great Other itself sent them after me?"

Lysa's eyes narrowed further, her gaze shifting between me, Little-Cloud, and White Shadow, as if searching for any indication that I was jesting. The quiet intensity in her expression made it clear she wasn't going to brush this off as one of my many absurdities. Halga, on the other hand, tilted her head, her sharp, calculating mind clearly running through all possible scenarios. If either of them was going to take this seriously, it'd be Halga and only because she thought it'd be fun.

"The Great Other?" Lysa repeated, her voice low and dangerous. She didn't give a damn about the myths of the North—she gave a damn about threats, and she was starting to look at Little-Cloud and White Shadow as exactly that. All things considered, I didn't doubt, even for a moment, that this little girl would've done everything in her power to restore her seat from the Wildlings if I hadn't arrived and fucked up the timeline. "Lord Jason, are telling me the god of darkness and death, from the oldest of tales, sent these two after you? Why?"

I grinned, leaning back just a little, letting my sword-honed jawline catch the faint starlight – the greatest act of mogging ever seen in ASOIAF.

"Because, Lysa," I said, tone casual but with just enough smugness to get on her nerves, though I was pretty sure Lysa Mormont held infinite patience for my bullshit, just because. "I'm the Boner Lord of Boners."

Her expression remained flat. She wasn't having it. Honestly, this whole title would've worked so much better if anyone here knew what a boner really meant.

Halga and Lysa turned to face each other, before then turning to face me, brows raised. I sighed.

"Alright, fine. The Great Other sent them because... huh... I never really thought about this one, but Little-Cloud said that the Great Other didn't like the idea of someone else playing around with the power of death, considering its whole plan to plunge Westeros into eternal night, yada yada. You know, typical villain mental gymnastics. So, it decided to send its biggest weapons after me. But as you can see"—I gestured grandly at Little-Cloud and White Shadow, who loomed in the background—"things didn't quite go as planned."

Halga's gaze darted to Little-Cloud, her hand resting lightly on her hip, near the hilt of her dagger. "And now they serve you? Just like that?"

I shrugged again, like it was no big deal, even though it really was. "I mean, it took a little persuading. Nightfury had to tear White Shadow apart using the power of good old gravity, I had to kill Little-Cloud personally, which took a very long time, because Others are really hard to kill without Dragonglass or Valyrian steel, and then, you know, I brought them back from the dead with a bit of finesse. Standard stuff."

Lysa and Halga exchanged looks, clearly not fully convinced but intrigued enough not to dismiss it outright.

"And you're sure," Lysa pressed, stepping closer, her voice dropping lower, "they're loyal to you now? You brought an Other into my home, Lord Jason. I'm not about to let that kind of threat linger unless I know, without a doubt, that you have full control over her."

I could feel Little-Cloud's cold gaze flicker to Lysa, but she remained silent, observing everything like an alien visitor trying to make sense of this new world. I also didn't like the idea of having 'Full Control' over anyone, Little-Cloud or Nightfury included. That'd be a little too close to slavery and I didn't like that. No, this was an internship – unpaid. But explaining the nuances would be too much of a waste of time.

"I have full control," I assured Lysa, locking eyes with her. "Trust me, I've got this. Nightfury wouldn't let anyone near me if they were a threat. He's got a nose for this kind of thing."

I gave Nightfury a mental nudge, and he let out a low, rumbling growl, shaking the ground beneath us for emphasis. Red flames and black smoke erupted from his eyes, nostrils, and mouth. The peasants nearby audibly gasped and shuffled back even further.

Lysa's tension didn't break, but she did take a step back, her gaze shifting warily Little - and White Shadow.

"Alright, I understand." she muttered, though I could tell she wasn't completely satisfied with that answer. I also noticed, just then, that she had the ancestral blade of House Mormont dangling from her hip – a Valyrian Steel sword, which was very much capable of killing Little-Cloud. "But if she steps out of line, Lord Jason, I'm not going to hesitate. I will defend my people and my family, even if it means harming one under your servitude. And so you must forgive me if I'm forced to do so."

"I doubt it'd ever get to that, but fair enough." I glanced behind her. Ah, the Starks, Meera herself included, were hiding in the keep – smart. Bravery worked only when it wasn't stupid and, by all rights, hiding from two dragons was not at all stupid. It was, in fact, very brave and very smart. So, I waved at Meera, who was not at all amused. I was also pretty sure she was doing this to make sure her warriors didn't do anything stupid, like-

And then one of them stepped out. I recognized him. It was Rodrik, the dude who got into a fight with me and got his shit kicked in. There was no hatred in his expression, however. Instead, there was something there that was just as powerful, but far far more dangerous. Faith. Fanaticism.

Lysa's household guard drew their weapons, but I stopped them by holding up a hand, which was funny because I wasn't supposed to have any authority over them. Lysa's eyes widened, same with Meera's and Halga's. But it was clear to everyone present that Rodrik bore no ill-intent.

Rodrik walked right up to me and lifted his weapon – not a sword, but a bearded axe – and presented it to me, falling to his knees as he did. "Hail, Lord Jason Lee, Sorcerer Supreme and Lord of Boners, He Who Commands Death itself; please, accept my offering of loyalty as penance for the... offenses I've uttered against you, by my life or death. I will fight for you, in your holy name. Your enemies shall be my enemies."

I reaaaally should've said no and told him to fuck off. After all, this guy insulted me and challenged me. Sure, I beat the shit out of him for it But my monkey brain intervened. See, this was the perfect moment for me to start doing the cool shit I've always wanted to do. It was also a pretty big chance to finally start roleplaying as the great big dark lord I knew I could be if I set my mind to it. See, for the future, I had some grand plans and, like any dark lord worth his salt, I needed an army of yesmen to do my shit for me, like proclaim my name and all my titles whenever I walked into a room, or hold up my cape, or polish my shoes, or fetch my coffee. The skeletons, my precious unpaid interns, were nice, but they did not possess the same aesthetic value as a human servant, someone decked in cool as fuck armor. Also, my skeletons were incapable of announcing my swagger every time I walked into a room.

Unfortunately, I couldn't turn the dude int something cool like a Vampire or a Death Knight – at least, not yet. But, once I unlocked that ability, Rodrik was definitely first in line to get the upgrade.

And so, I made a decision using my monkey brain. I channeled a bunch of Necrotic Energy into my throat to bass boost my voice with a chorus of lost and tortured souls, and, thusly, spoke with the voice of the final boss of a horror JRPG. "Arise, Rodrik, and be welcomed into my service. Arise, the first of my Death Knights."

Oh yeah, I'm becoming the Lich King and no copyright strike was going to stop me.

AN: Chapter 43 is out on (Pat)reon!