:-[Chapter 24]-:
"At once, your grace." immediately said Gerold. The knight went to the door and called the two men who came in in a heartbeat.
"You two shall be my envoy to Moat Cailin. I may trust my new Master of Whisperers, but I need my eyes and swords there themselves. Both Barristan Selmy and Lewyn Martell nodded without a word, use to simply agreed to whatever whim their king had.
Both men left the Small Council room to go prepare for their journey North.
:-[T.A.B]-:
Rhaegar Targaryen was fuming. He was walking in circle in his personal room for what seemed hours now. Magic! Magic in his realm! How dare they. No. He could not let it happen again. Magic was a sin, and sinners must be expunged from this world.
"Your grace, you must calm down. This isn't good for your injuries." said the High Septon.
The Prince stopped his rambling and sat on a cushy sofa in front of a fireplace. His left hand was hurting him like a bitch, and he had to drink more milk of the poppy every day to calm his pain. His nightmares however, were far worse. Every single night, the Lace Serpent was in his dreams, taunting him. Shaking his head, he turned his attention to the old man in front of him. The man was the High Septon for years now but only now did he take action to affirm himself and the Faith higher than ever. He had people to answer to after all.
Suddenly, the door opened, letting King Aerys, Second of His Name enter. With a wave of his hand, the monarch indicated to his kingsguards to stay outside. Due to his torture, even with being the youngest, Rhaegar looked the oldest by far. With his broken hand, his arched back and of course his knees, he had the posture of an old man.
"Father." said Rhaegar, his voice hoarse. "What are you going to do if this Varys is right? We cannot let the northerner think they can negotiate more power from us. The Darklyns and Duskendale do not need to happen again."
"I quite agree, my son. If they are using magic, then the time has come. We will call all our loyal banners to war. High Septon, any message from the Gods?"
"The Seven Who Are One have spoken many things. Their light must be shine upon the smallfolk and lords alike so that their souls can be saved. For too long the North has been out of our control. Sure, the Manderys are there at White Harbor but the septons there haven't done a thing to take a look outside for hundreds of years, despite our many letters."
"Enough of riddles, old man. Speak plainly or leave." snarled the prince.
"Apologies, your grace. I will go pray day and night of the Seven to beg them for a vision." said the High Septon before hastily leaving the Prince's room.
Left alone, the two Targaryen males stayed silent for a moment. The only sounds heard was the blowing wind due to being so high up and the fire cracking. After a while, the king took his son out of his inner thoughts. "Rhaegar, we need to start thinking about a bride for you. You need to start producing sons for the Targaryen dynasty."
"I do not wish to be married, Father." said the prince with a sneer.
"It is not a question of want, but of duty. Do you think I loved your mother when my father forced us to marry? And I still don't but I do it out of duty to our family. It is time you do the same as all your forefathers."
:-[T.A.B]-:
Harry Winterstorm was inside his personal solar, atop Direwolf Tower. He absolutely adored the view from his balcony. From it, he could see the entirety for his new town, Midgard. For now, a few hundred of smallfolk from many villages around decided to come here. Since they were the first, they all got prime spots inside the walls. The lord of Moat Cailin was happy with the result of his magic. Moat Cailin was not almost fully operational, minus a standing garrison.
Just as he planned, many males and some females decided to volunteer to be guards. The young wizard decided to follow the Mormont way to include women in his forces. From what he read from Sura's many letters, Lady Maege was happy about his decision. After all, an arrow shot from anyone could kill somebody. With the help of many Stark's warriors, he created a training program for anyone who was willing to protect their home. Children were taught with the main weapon of the stronghold, the bow and arrow. Everyone could be a part on the security.
Harry intended to create a militarist mindset with Moat Cailin and Midgard. His duty to guard the south entrance of the North was something he took with the utmost seriousness. In the case of an invasion, the Neck would have to be evacuated and he was the first destination for them.
Within his own meagre garrison and volunteers, he had around two hundred men. Leading them, was Torrhen, who was chosen by Rickard Stark himself to help the new young lord as his Master-at-arms. Torrhen was a typical northerner in appearance, with brown hair and a gruffy beard which he refuses to shave off. Harry was convinced the man must have Umber's blood due to his great size.
The giant knew of Harry secret of magic. The young wizard decided to told him and Eddard at the same time with the advice and help from Lord Howland Reed. Both men were very surprised that a sorcerer was now a lord of the North but when they learned that the Lord Paramount himself knew of the fact, they both accepted it pretty quickly. His trunk however was still kept a secret, on Hedwig insistence. "You need a back-up plan in case something happens." she told him when he thought about it.
The raven-haired young man looked at the small chest on his desk, containing the powerful crystal he used to boost his magical power. Even hiding from view, he could feel it near him. It was a fantastical piece of magic that he knew would be very useful in future adventures. Even with a minimal knowledge of transfiguration, he was able to create massive walls that weren't there thousands of years ago. He created a new Moat Cailin with no apparent weaknesses.
A soft knock on the door before it opened turn his attention toward it. One of his guards let his head pass. "My lord, Lord Eddard is here and wishes to see you."
"Thank you Rywen, let him pass." said Harry, kindly.
"Aye, my lord."
Eddard entered the solar with his usual stoic face, his hands clasped behind his back. To people who didn't know him, the Stark man did look all serious, but to people who actually knew the man, Eddard had a slight smirk on his face.
"I am sorry, Ned. Security is pretty high inside my personal tower." apologized the young lord.
"No to apologize my friend. It is late in the night and it is your personal solar. Even at Winterfell, I had to ask my lord Father permission to enter. Rywen did exactly was we asked of him then and he still does with you."
"Aye, Rywen is a very good sword. I spar with him from time to time and he has good reflexes. Anyway, did you want to talk about something?"
"Aye. Father is coming soon with Lyanna and Benjen. Brandon is staying as the Stark of Winterfell as he need the experience." said Eddard, which made Harry nod at that. Experiences was always good in his opinion.
"Do not fret, Ned. I did not forget the coming of the man who gave me everything. Everything is ready. Howland was kind enough to do some hunting in the swamp for some boars and elks. We have way too much food so even the servants will have a full belly with meat tonight and tomorrow." smiled wildly Harry. He loved to make his people happy under him. His people loved him and respected him.
"I know, I know. I don't think Father believe me in my letter to be honest. It is a hard tale to believe, even for me who was there."
Harry casted a quick wandless Silencio, a spell he had to learn due to Ron loud snoring on the door so that no one could hear him and Eddard.
"Now nobody can hear us. How about the men and the smallfolk who came here?" asked Harry.
"They all believe in some miracle and that the Old Gods have blessed us. Many of them believe you are blessed yourself by them. I would not be surprised if many desert their home to come here to live under your protection. After only a fortnight after the 'Rebirth of Moat Cailin', as the men says, you already have a couple dozens of families."
"Aye, good news travels fast, as they say. The Manderlys have send back a raven. They would be most obliged to send architects here to help me build a small town. Oh, and I decided on the name of the gates, do you want to hear them?" inquired the new lord, even though he knew he would say yes.
"Of course, what are they?"
"So, the southern gate, the main one, will be name the Direwolves Gate due to the two massive statues at both sides. The northeast one will be the Mermaid Gate since the road I intend to construct will lead directly to White Harbor. The final one will be the Winter Gate. The two last gates will be guarded by my future garrison while the Direwolves Gate will be manned by warriors I personally choose with the help of Torrhen."
"Fine names. I am sure Father and Lord Manderly will be pleased by them when they arrived here in the morrow morning. Do you have your House words? You know Father will pester you if you don't." teased Eddard.
"As a matter of fact, yes, I do. And no, you will not know them before your lord Father.
:-[T.A.B]-:
Like Eddard said, Lord Rickard Stark arrived soon in the morrow. Horns was blown to announce their lord arrival. Awaiting at the Winter Gate, Harry and basically everyone at Moat Cailin and Midgard were awaiting for their liege lord. Many of them didn't see the Targaryen as the true leaders of the North as very few of them actually went in the kingdom.
The horn at the top of the gate was blown hard, announcing the arrival. With a sign of his hand, Lord HarryWinterstorm gave the order for his guards to open. The grey direwolf banner was floating proudly in the air. At the forefront of the small retinue was Rickard Stark, the Old Wolf. He was dressed in his full northern lord attire with his Valyrian sword, Ice, strapped on his back.
Judging by the stunned face of all the people behind him, including the Lord of Winterfell himself, not many expected to actually see a whole new Moat Cailin in addition to the beginnings of a town. The high walls were an impressive sight and that was without speaking of the walls of Moat Cailin itself. The stronghold was truly back to its beautiful old days.
Harry was already down his horse, by respect to his liege lord. He remembered the quick lesson Eddard gave him earlier. He didn't want to show any disrespect to the man who gave him everything he had in this life. He was almost like a fatherly figure, even if he did not show the same love to him than to his own children, which Harry understand completely. After living for so many years under the watchful gaze of his real aunt and uncle, living under the same roof as the Old Wolf was very easy in comparison.
Rickard entered the open gate, trotting on his black horse. He took a good moment to observe the fortress in front of him. Truth be told, he didn't think the renovation plan would go to such an extent. Moat Cailin was beyond ready to receive a proper seat of power like with House Winterstorm. He would need to start reinforcing the place with a proper number of troops loyal to House Stark.
"By the Old Gods and the New!" exclaimed Wyman Manderly. "Lord Stark, when you told me that a surprise was waiting for us, I honestly didn't believe it would be to such an extent!"
"Aye, my lord. Truly it is a miracle. My son, Eddard, told me the fortress was rebuild in a single night by the graces of the Old Gods themselves. No one saw anything." answered the Lord Paramount of the North before stepping down from his horse. As soon as he did so, he was followed by the men following him.
Harry went immediately to his knee, also followed by his men. He knew it wasn't technically an obligation for them to kneel in front a Lord Paramount, but they were in the North. Even Hedwig dropped her head. When his lord was near enough to hear him, he saw Eddard by his side giving him a quick nod.
"My lord Stark, Moat Cailin and Midgard are yours." said a solemn young lord.
"Rise, every one of you. Thank you for your warm welcome. Lord Winterstorm, you have done most incredible work here. We must talk more in private. Can one of your men show mine where they would stay? I must confess we didn't realize the scale of the rebuild and bring too much outside equipment." laughed slightly Rickard.
"Of course my lord. The Direwolf Tower will be where yourself and Lord Manderly will stay. Your men will be ablt to rest inside the First Men Tower, which serve as a massive guest tower, pretty useful if you ask me. Please, follow me, my lords."
:-[T.A.B]-:
Inside Harry brand new solar, the many lords present were taking each of their seat. The lord of Moat Cailin had graciously offer to Rickard is own seat, behind his personal desk. Benjen and Lyanna were exploring the new castle and its many towers with Hedwig and a small contingent of men and Sura while Lady Maege had invited herself in the reunion as a Mormont envoy.
All in all, the solar had Harry himself, Rickard and Eddard Stark, Wyman Manderly, Howland Reed and Lady Maege Mormont. Food and drinks were brought by servants and the mermaid lord immediately jumped in. The man was a good eater and seemed to find the frog legs particularly good.
"Well, Lord Winterstorm. You've done well in the short time you've been here." started the head of House Stark.
"Thank you, my lord. I have many plans to make Moat Cailin not only the strongest fortress in the North, but also a beacon of trade between the Riverlands and our kingdom. Lord Reed, here present, have already accepted that some of his men guide the merchants through the swamp. He will also give us plans to make our very own frog farms you seem to love so much, Lord Manderly." answered Harry, making the group laugh.
"Aye! These are most good, my lords. I also heard about the Mermaid Gate and the road you intend to build?" inquired the lord of White Harbor, before sipping on his cup of wine.
"Indeed. I intend to increase trade by land. Before Moat Cailin, it was mostly the North who had to go South looking for goods. Now, White Harbor can solely focus their maritime trade with Westeros and Essos while we focus of the landing part. Of course, we will have our own internal trade which will boost our economy. I also intend to hire farmers to sustain Midgard without importing from the South."
"A marvelous idea my lord. I wish to help also with the road construction. Trust and trade go both ways after all." said lord Manderly.
"Thank you, my lord. We will also need patrol to ensure the merchants protection. If we all are to properly prosper from this, they need to feel safe. Bandits are to be swiftly dealt with."
"I agree." started Rickard Stark. "This is an incredible opportunity for the North to have more food for during the winter. Already you have proven to be a very nice fit as one of my bannerman."
Harry could not help but to feel immense pride at the man comment. In his real life, he had very, very few of those and almost none if he forgot Quidditch. Being in this universe for years had help him tremendously in that regard. He was feeling way surer of himself than ever before. His magical power was stronger and while he knew he was still at the beginning of his adventure for become more powerful than Lord Voldemort himself, he could not help but think that he was on the good path.
"Before we finish this meeting. Lord Winterstorm, have you chosen your House words?"
"Aye, my lord. House Winterstorm official words are, You shall not pass."
:-[T.A.B]-:
After the meeting, Rickard sent everyone away but Harry. The details would come later on. For now, some important details needed to be discovered.
"Harry, I know they is more to it than what you said and what Eddard wrote in his letter. I am a fervent beliver in the Old Gods but I think you had more to do to it."
Harry nodded at his lord. He also knew it was time to show him everything. After all, the man had given him everything, from simple sword training to a bloody lordship within his own land. He rose up from his seat, went to the door and opened it.
"Torrhen, make sure no one, and I mean no one enter my solar until myself or Lord Stark says so, am I clear? Ordered Harry, no, Lord Winterstorm in a firm voice.
The man was slightly taken aback form the force of the order. Never before his lord had acted this way.
"A-Aye my lord. I'll make sure no one disturb the both of you." stammered the man before posting himself in front of the passage, spear firmly in his hand.
The young wizard closed the door and casted a privacy charm on it, ensuring no sound would be able to pass. With a wave on his hand, he wandlessly put out the torches and the small fire in his solar, takin Rickard by complete surprise. Only light from the moon and star were showing, giving the scene an eerie look.
"What in the..." started the Old Wolf. The youngest man in the room interrupted him by lighting the torches again but this time with blue flames without a word spoken.
"I can do far more than these simple tricks. With your permission, my lord?" asked Harry while tapping the pommel of his sword.
When Rickard gave him authorisation to take it out of its scabbard. Strengthening his muscles with Hedwig's powers, the young warrior destroyed a couple of chairs.
"Reparo"
The chairs went back to their original form in a flourish move, shocking the Stark. Using transfiguration, he changed the furniture into a massive block of stone, not unlike those forming the walls protecting Moat Cailin and Midgard.
"So, this is how you repaired Moat Cailin." said Rickard after regaining his wits. Witnessing an act of magic like this was almost overwhelming but luckily for him, the man holding it was an ally to the North. 'Thank the Old Gods for this. I cannot imagine us fighting a man like this.' thought the man to himself.
"For the main wall, essentially. My lord, on my desk, there is a small chest. If you could?"
Slowly and with a slightly shaking hand, Rickard opened the chest, revealing. Inside of it was the crystal his bannerman had found in the crypt. The humming green light reflected on the older man face.
"This is what I used to create everything you saw. This is the weapon the Children of the Forest use thousands of years ago to make the Stepstones and created the Neck by mistake. I was able to find it and I used it the take out the minerals from the ground itself to create the external wall."
Rickard stayed silent for a moment, absorbing the knowledge the young man just gave him, but he wasn't done talking.
"We shall use the material to build the town of Midgard you wanted to use for the renovation of Moat Cailin. Hundreds of smallfolk are already flooding here, seeing the rebuild as a miracle. Like I said before, I want to train my own kind of city watch from the town itself, creating a proud sentiment for the men and women. Torrhen shall help me in that endeavour and maybe Ser Rodrik while he is here?"
"Aye, of course. Do you want to conscript smallfolk from each family of do you want it to be on a volunteer basic?"
"I want my Midgard Watch to choose to serve. The only problem is money for the creation of the town itself, the training and everything else it will occur."
Rickard wave it off. "Harry, you have no idea the money you saved the Starks. Helping with this project will be next to nothing compared to it. I will send update to every concern lord to send volunteers here to help populate and build, per you wishes. I know Wyman has already send for his architect to ride as fast as possible with willing smallfolk. The Starks will do their part, you can rest assured of that."
"Thank you, my lord." sight in relief the young lord.
:-[T.A.B]-:
Barristan Selmy and Lewyn Martell were riding slowly on their horses through the Neck, on the King's Road. They were giving a small rest to their mounts after riding them hard for the most part of the day.
"We haven't really talk since King's Landing." started Lewyn.
"What else is there to talk about? Our mission is to see what is going on in Moat Cailin and to report directly to his grace." said Barristan, his voice neutral.
"You know damn well that is not all." insisted the Dornish man, his grip around his spear tightening at the thought. "The prince..."
"The prince has given his orders, I know them. I was there, if you recall Ser Lewyn."
Both knights returned to silence. It was a touchy subject for the stormlander. He clearly didn't want to obey this order from Rhaegar, but he was bound by duty to do so.
"I know you were. You read the letter after all." tried to soothe Lewyn. Even with his calm demeanour, he knew his brother in arms was conflicted like he never was before, just like he was himself. The Martell man remembered the letter and the reaction that followed.
To Barristan and Lewyn.
My future kingsguards. You have been chosen by my father for an important mission. Determine if the northerner truly have fell to the use of heretical magic. This is a holy task, given by the Seven Who are One themselves. For too long the Starks have corrupt the good people of the North. For too long they laugh at our religion, our culture and our way of life. The wolves of the north think themselves as our equals.
Find out if the use of magic has corrupted their minds. If so, you are to execute a member of House Stark of Rickard choosing. You are to bring me the head of Lord Harry Winterstorm's direwolf and bring me the heretic. He shall be burned in front of all King's Landing as soon as you arrive.
They are no rumours without cause. Do not come back without a proof of magic.
Rhaegar Targaryen, Voice of the Seven.
:-[T.A.B]-:
Thank you everyone for reading Chapter 24 of The adventure begins! Please let a review in the comment, letting me know what you think about my story of what you would like to see.
If you are interested in becoming an Alpha or Beta reader, contact me!
Criticism is always welcome as long as it is constructive.
To Sheploo: Yes they are, thank you for reading.
To Mark1: I've almost consider making Viserys older to fit in like you said a crazy trinity.
To Ptool: Thank you for reading!
To Qhristhian: ¡Gracias por tu opinión amigo! Tomaré todo esto en consideración durante el resto de esta aventura. ¡Gracias por leer este capítulo!
To Nysk: Thank you for pointing out this atrocious mistake! She may or may not, I am not sure yet. Thank you for your review on my question.
To Firefiend5: I think you are right, it would be too weird to have the Stark children in this story, maybe another time!
To Travis Btmb: Too young my friend. Thank you for reading.