:-[Chapter 22]-:
Two weeks later, Harry Winterstorm was getting ready to leave Winterfell to inspect his new lands. Lord Rickard Stark had sent many men in advance to Moat Cailin to start the reparation for the new lord arrival. The fort would be directly under the Stark jurisdiction. Sure, he would only be a very minor lord with few lands around the castle, but he would be the lord of the most strategic castle in all of the North. Not to forget the potential invasion place from the Targaryen and the South.
The young knight had asked Sura to stay in Winterfell during the renovation. Of course, the news had been received very poorly by the young girl but with some cajoling from his part, she accepted to stay with Lady Lyanna.
Rickard had previously sent ravens to Lord Reed of the Neck to send men to help the reconstruction of the fort. The younger lord had assured his liege that it would be done. The crannogmen were a proud people and they would answer his call.
In the great courtyard of Winterfell, the entire Stark Household was there, ready to say goodbye to the young man they knew for years. Arriving as a simple peasant son with nothing but a small pup with him, he was now the newest Lord of a land under the Stark reign. Harry was dressed in full Northern lord attire. He decided to let his hair grown until they were long enough to fit the Stark traditional looks.
"Ser Harry Winterstorm, knight of the North. I hereby name you Lord of Moat Cailin. Your House shall be the Protectors of the main way into our lands until the Last Winter arrived, or your descendants should not be fit to lead." announced Lord Rickard.
The applauses from the crowd were thunderous. It was a very rare occasion to see the rise of a new lord in Westeros, especially in the North where many northern families were older than the southern ones.
"Thank you, my lord. I shall not disappoint you. With your help, Moat Cailin will return to her former glory, you have my word." assured the young knight.
"I know, Harry. Of that, I have no doubt at all. My son, Eddard, will accompany you to the fort, to make sure everything is well on his way. Wintertown had many, many volunteers to help us in the reconstructions. Many masons from all over the North are already on their way to rebuild Moat Cailin. It is the biggest project the North have seen in many, many years." said Rickard.
Harry knew of the man generosity, but he was floored by the people's. He knew of course he had gained their respect in the Sistermen Rebellion and now the Defiance of Duskendale, but to see people risk their lives to answer his call was heartwarming to him. The young wizard looked at his friend, Ned and nodded at him in thanks.
Rickard took back his attention when he continued speaking.
"Now go my young friend, founder of House Winterstorm. Go make the North proud as I am of you." finished the Lord Paramount.
Puffing his chest in pride at his lord's comment, Harry nodded firmly and put his fist on his chest.
"Yes, my lord. You have my word, Moat Cailin will return as the impenetrable fort that it was."
:-[T.A.B]-:
Harry was trotting on his horse beside Hedwig and Eddard, leading the men who had offered to come with him. It has been a few days already now and Moat Cailin was nearby. In a surprising move, Lord Howland Reed had joined them earlier than anticipated.
"I only wanted to see my friend Eddard and my newest northern neighbor." answered in a mysterious way, not unlike a certain old Headmaster but without the twinkling in his eye.
The young knight was excited to start working on his fortress. Never before had he imagine he would be lord of a land, even less so for such an important and strategic place. Now he had his own House, his own land and his own retinue.
The young wizard intended to start working on the reparation himself with the Reparo spell as soon as the rest of the men and women would be asleep once they arrive. He had work on it every time he managed to go in his magical trunk and was getting pretty good at it. Weapons that were broken in battle were now easily repaired by magic. He was sure the same would happen with the fort.
"What are you thinking about, my friend?" asked the soft voice of Ned, beside him, letting Harry out of his thoughts.
"Moat Cailin. Your lord father has tasked me with a monumental one. Not that I'm ungrateful of course." rapidly add the young lord.
"Aye, I can understand. You will probably spend the first decade or two just fixing the stronghold." said Eddard.
"That long?" frowned the new lord.
"Stones will be the main problem. We need to find a place to mine it making sure everything is the correct size and then move the blocks to Moat Cailin. You are lucky in a way, a lot of materials is still there, even if some is underwater in the surrounding swamp. Father will also send ravens to some lords in them to prepare in case you need something."
Harry knew it would not be a problem at all with his magic. With the Levitation spell, even the heaviest of stones would be easily moved. The young wizard had found out when he tried the spell on Hedwig. He was able to very easily lift her up like she was a simple feather. How he would do it without being seen by anyone would be tough.
"I can help with that, Harry." said a voice that the young man didn't hear in a while.
The raven-haired young man turned his head, only to see the old man sitting comfortably on Hedwig. Like in King's Cross, everyone and everything was stuck in time except for Harry and his familiar of course.
"Kalvyn! What are you doing here?" asked Harry.
"Well, I am here to offer you a small token of my appreciation about your efforts in this world since you are here. You have made me proud with your actions in Duskendale. I got your back once you are in Moat Cailin with your retinue. I'll stop time for a night, except for you and our Hedwig here so that you can use your magic freely there without being seen. However, it come at a price."
"What price?" frowned the young man. It was the first time the archangel gave him a 'but' with his gifts.
The old figure looked deep into the much younger man, purple eyes against emerald green's.
"Like I told you when I bring you here, this world is not what it should be. Your presence has changed some things in this world, just as I did when I programmed it. Your future act of magic will attract the attention of a certain group that I created just for you. While you managed to become a knight, then a northern lord accomplishing what you wanted, I have my own plans. It will test your skills and your will to your present limits." explained the entity.
"But Moat Cailin will be ready? The North will be safe from an invasion from the South?" inquired the young lord.
"To an extent, yes. You still need to be there yourself of course if you want the North to survive."
"What do you mean, be there? Of course I'll be in Moat Cailin. Lord Stark had given me his trust to guard his lands from any kind of threat." frowned Harry.
"We shall see, my young friend. We shall see."
:-[T.A.B]-:
Moat Cailin was still the ruin Harry remembered. Only this time, there were much more people working on the site. Hundreds of peoples, mainly from Wintertown and the Neck were attracted by the prospect of easy coins. Lord Reed, while waiting for the true lord to appear had decided to install the camp on the north side of the fort, outside of its walls. When asked about why not put the camp inside, Howland simply answered that the Gods told him to.
By respect, Eddard had let Harry entered first the future gates. The land and smallfolk alike were still very poor, even more so than the average of the kingdom since the lack of a proper lord to supervise. The new lord resolute himself to make Moat Cailin a fortress to be afraid off. The same fortress that put the Andals to their places, thousands of years ago.
Harry, Eddard, Howland and a small group of men decided to inspect the stronghold ruin more before the sun goes down. The young wizard was starting to get frustrated about the old Kings of Winter. How could they have left this perfect chokepoint goes down to such an extent? It was baffling to him, especially in a world with so much violence.
The basalt wall was almost completely crumbled. Many of the blocks were still there however, giving Harry some hope about it. Nothing was left of the ancestral wooden keep, not even rotten wood. Seventeen of the twenty towers were already on the ground, laying in the mud for countless years. The Gatehouse Tower was the largest of the surviving tower where the temporary Hall was installed. A massive marble table was in the middle of it, where the servant put many chairs for the lords and their closest guards.
The Drunkard's Tower did not inspire confidence at all in Harry's mind. Said tower was leaning a little bit too much for his liking. He decided right there that he would repair that building also.
The Children's Tower however was one of the reasons the young lord wanted to come here. According to legend, the Children of the Forest had tried to completely cut the North from the main continent with magic but ultimately failed, creating the Neck instead and the natural chokepoint where they were all standing on now.
When he entered the tower, he didn't hear Howland Reed ask Ned to stay outside and to make sure no one could enter. Harry climbed up the spiral staircase until he was on the top floor. The roof was crumbled, and the room was open to the sky. Luckily, the sky was clear of any clouds and the moon could shine its light upon him.
"It is beautiful, isn't it? The northern moon." said the voice of Howland Reed, making Harry turned around.
Lord Reed was dressed in a similar fashion than him as a lord from the north. With his hands behind his back, he walked slowly toward the young knight after having close the door.
"You've grown stronger since the first time I saw you, Ser Harry. Or is it Lord Winterstorm?" chuckled the lord.
"Harry is fine between friends, Lord Reed." answered the wizard, smiling at him.
"And Howland for mines." nodded the lord of Greywater Watch. "Are you impressed about Moat Cailin?"
"The state is deplorable to be honest with you but I..."
"Nothing magic can't handle, am I right?" interrupted the man.
Harry looked at his southern neighbor in bewilderment. "How did you..."
"The Gods have showed me many things, Harry. One of them is your incredible potential to become a powerful sorcerer. I have also seen how you freed Prince Rhaegar of his chains and how you manage to open the locked door. The others may think you are a 'simple' skinchanger but I know there is more to you."
"Why haven't you said anything to anyone?" inquired the young wizard.
"Simple Harry. You are loyal to the Starks and to the North. You are not a menace. I believe your intentions are pure."
"Why are you so sure about that?"
"Like I said, Harry. The Gods have showed me many things. In my dreams, before I receive the raven from Lord Stark to ask to send men here, the Gods had given me a task." explained the crannogman.
"A task? What is it, Howland?
"Come with me. You wanted to see the top of this tower, now we will see the crypt under it." said the smaller man. Without waiting, the Lord of the Neck went down the stairs and let the door open behind him.
Harry stayed still for a moment. From all the things that were about to happen tonight, it wasn't one of them. The Lord of Greywater Watch was a mysterious man who loved to speak in the same mysterious ways. He had the friendship of Eddard Stark, a man who did not give it to anyone. Chuckling to himself while shaking his head, the Lord of Moat Cailin followed him.
:-[T.A.B]-:
The new northern knight was standing at the entrance of Moat Cailin's crypt. Like Kalvyn had promised, everyone was in a deep sleep. He could see Eddard sleeping on the floor, his back leaning against the wall behind him, his men sleeping in different position around him. The moonlight and torches were illuminating the area. Lord Howland Reed was beside him, strangely awake. Hedwig was following closely behind them all, having rejoin them at the bottom of the tower.
"As I suspected, the Old Gods have blessed us tonight. Ned would never sleep while the camp is not up and running. Let us use this opportunity, aye?" said the diminutive man before indicating to Harry to open the door.
The young wizard did so and when he did, he felt the cold wind from the depths of the crypt. Entering the first corridor, he found out it led to a spiral staircase, leading down. Harry, deciding to trust Howland with his secret, magically made appear a ball of blue light in his palm. The ball went flying in front of them, leaving smaller sparks of light in its midst. The Lord of the Neck didn't react in the slightest way at the sudden display of magic, simply following the young wizard with his hands behind his back, not having a care in the world.
Being a small but important stronghold, Moat Cailin didn't have the biggest crypt in the North. It was mainly lords and warriors who had died in past wars and put in the ground here. There were some Starks, Karstarks, Umbers and even some Boltons, to Harry's surprise. None of them, however, attracted his attention. They were simply tombs and the new lord would respect all of them, having die for the North.
The ball of light stopped in front of an empty stone wall with moss. Water was dripping somewhere in the room, creating a small tempo within in.
"Here we are, my lord Harry." started Howland. "When in war with the First Men, the Children of the Forest had many magical weapons to fight them. One of them, broke Dorne itself, creating the Stepstones. They tried to do the same thing here, at Moat Cailin but ultimately failed in their endeavour. This is how my home, the Neck, was born." smiled the man. "The Gods haven't told me what and why, but I know that the Children have left one here, in the crypt."
"A magical weapon? What is it?" frowned Harry, having never heard of it before.
"Of that, I do not know my friend. My duty was to bring the new Lord of Moat Cailin, the Sorcerer of the North here." answered the crannogman. After that, he took his leave, following the small blue sparks.
"Well, that was something." said mentally Hedwig. "I like this two-legged, but he can be strange sometime. He reminds me of the old Headmaster Dumbledore."
"I agree girl. I believe he is on our side, however. He showed no indications of the contrary." said Harry, closing the matter. "Now, what do to? My magic is drawn to the wall, that much is obvious. Maybe it is a magical wall? Like for Diagon Alley?" said aloud the young knight.
Harry put his leather gloves in his belt and touch the stone wall with his bare hands, trying in feel something. Just has he thought, the wall was enchanted. He pushed his magic strongly within it, willing it to open. Carvings of a door appeared on the wall, creating an entrance. A beautifully craft wood door formed in front of him. Smiling in triumph, the young wizard pulled the door open, revealing a small room. A small altar was in the middle of it. Vines were forming the altar in the same pattern the wall adorned.
The duo approached the altar, to see an object on it. The object was not covered in any dust whatsoever, creating a contrast with the crypt itself. Humming in a soft warm green light, a crystal as big as an acorn was seemingly waiting for him. It was like magic wanted him to have it. Harry lifts his hand and takes it. Like it's light, the crystal was warm to the touch but not in a harmful way.
"Master? What is it?" inquired his direwolf.
"I-I'm not sure, Hedwig. It feels a lot like a source or some kind of magical battery or rather, a massive battery. I think this is what they use in Howland's story earlier. I can feel it's power like I felt it with my wand back in Olivander's. I think... I think I can use this to repair Moat Cailin entirely." said a more and more excited raven-haired wizard. "I need to test it." he finished in a more childish voice from being too excited before exiting the room.
Hedwig followed her master closely. Her tail was wagging happily behind her, matching the young knight's excitement. Harry went straight for the nearest tomb of a random warrior. The cover was made of stone and the image of a man was on it. Time had taken its toll, wearing out the shapes on the stone.
"Reparo."
Harry had the intention of simply repairing the tomb and nothing else. However, the spell was so powerful, that the entire room was back in its former glory in a wave of light coming from the wizard. Even the torches were back on the wall, illuminating the room. The raven-haired lord looked around in amazement. He wasn't feeling down in the slightest, which he found incredible.
Hedwig was stunned too. As a former magical pet in Britain, she had the displeasure of being the owl of a couple of families before being bought and given to her Harry. Her formers masters could never in a hundred years done what the young man in front of her did in a heartbeat. She stayed silent and followed him while the Lord of Moat Cailin left the crypt, a massive smile on his face.
:-[T.A.B]-:
Author Note: Finally, we are at Moat Cailin. Big change for the stronghold next chapter and big revelation within the Order!
Thank you everyone for reading Chapter 22 of The adventure begins! Please let a review in the comment, letting me know what you think about my story.
If you are interested in becoming an Alpha or Beta reader, contact me!
Criticism is always welcome as long as it is constructive.
To Artur Hawkwing1: May I ask how? Plenty of fanfiction has lemon? I ask this with genuine curiosity. Thank you for reading!
To InfinityMask: Why yes, he does! And thank you for the idea my friend!
To rajeshkont: Jack Sparrow is one of a kind, that's for sure matey.
To Narim2001: I'm guessing you speak of Moat Cailin? No, he will not change is BUT a big change is coming next chapter! Stay tuned!