Jon Snow POV
Father, after making sure we were alright and that no one threatened us or tried to make us promise anything, and once he was satisfied with our account of what happened and had spoken to the good captain and his men about who they were and why they were here, and once everything was clear and he was sure we were fine both physically and mentally, he proceeded to show all his frustration and anger over our behavior and stupidity. Mostly at me, Robb and Owen only got a small part of it because Owen was following Robb's orders, but he was also given a strong reminder that an heir is not just another lord when he hasn't reached the age of majority.
Once things calmed down, father, Lord Brandon, young Brandon, Owen, and I had a meeting with Britay, where he explained the door, its function, and that they had no ill intentions toward him or the North. Once this was established, the captain explained that they had already been here longer than planned and needed to report back to their chief before he came through the door with a company behind him. My father, of course, understood the situation and allowed one of the captain's companions to return.
The door spun as if by magic, the symbols aligned one after the other, and when the last one did, I still couldn't believe what I saw that day. I will have it etched in my mind as long as I live: the energy forming the event horizon wasn't water and not a pool as I initially thought. Jaxi simply took a step and was no longer among us, and the door closed while Captain Britay warned us that the door was one-way: if you open it to another planet, once there, you must open the door back to return. Another planet? I haven't even been to another continent. The mere idea that every star in the sky is a cradle for life, likely very similar to ours, is simply unimaginable, inconceivable even in my wildest dreams. But how can I deny it when the evidence is right in front of me?
After about 10 to 15 minutes, the door started to spin again. Once the connection was made, Jaxi returned with a message from his lord Husil of the House of Tatamis, apologizing for not coming in person because this exploration mission was unplanned and more of an impromptu venture, and that he didn't have the time required for a diplomatic meeting of such importance, being in the middle of a previously scheduled visit. But he could plan one with the captain, whom he fully trusted, requesting it be within fourteen to twenty-eight days.
My father and the only other lord present negotiated with the good captain, and in twenty-eight days, a diplomatic meeting would take place here in this valley. Arms were crossed, words given, and farewells announced, and as suddenly as it all happened, it was over for now.
What I didn't know at that moment was all the work ahead of me. Father, in short, told me this was my duty: to prepare, clean, and build everything necessary for the meeting; that it was time for more responsibilities; that this was a test.
"Do it well and I'll put you in charge of this. It may not seem like much now, but it's pretty obvious we can't leave this location undefended from both internal and external forces. And like in war, the first to arrive gets the largest share of the loot. This is your find, so it's only logical you receive all the rewards and responsibilities."
"But I'm not a Stark. The lords will be angry if you reward me over them."
"That's not how this works, Jon. You were the first on the scene. It was your curiosity, bravery, and courage that led you to this place. All the credit is yours, and the lords will support you because this situation reaffirms their rights to plunder and conquer in case of war. No one wants to do all the work only to have someone else tell them to share the loot equally or give up their reward."
"What about Owen, then?"
"No, Jon. Owen is just a minor member of his clan. He doesn't have the backing or political support necessary for this, unlike you. He can be a good right hand."
"Jon, it's true you don't bear the Stark name, but you are my blood. The blood of the King of Winter, the Warden of the North, flows in your veins. Winter's blood runs through you. Never forget that. And to be honest, your future was always something I struggled to decide, but it seems the old gods have lent a hand."
"I understand, Father. I won't disappoint you."
"I know you won't. You have my support and my trust."
And that was it. Despite the doubts I still have, I know this is my only chance, besides the Watch, to bring honor to my house and maybe elevate my name. Maybe stop being a Snow, to rise to something more, a Stark, as impossible as it seems. I may never have Winterfell, but maybe I can build my own version of it that is mine and no one else's.
I asked him to leave Owen as my second-in-command, along with the trio of Stark guards he assigned to me, while he and Robb went to the Norrey Clan Tower to arrange the shipment of materials and tools needed for the work. Besides ravens to be sent to the other clans to request men to serve as guards, builders, cooks, healers in case of accidents, and a long etcetera. Luckily, Owen knows something about masonry, and Maester Luwin's lessons will come in handy.
The first day we cleared the clearing of all loose rocks that could be moved by hand to create a site for our tents, food, water, and a campfire in the middle to scare off animals at night. In the cave, the water kept pooling in the middle. Owen thinks there's an underground aquifer nearby, and the water seeps through the earth between the rocks on the east side. For now, we dug a small ditch for the water to drain down the slope of the path that exits on the opposite side from where we entered, which comes from the mountain, unlike this one that leads to the meadow of the new gift. As a final act of the day, we gathered branches for the campfire, using the same rocks from the clearing to make a circle so the fire wouldn't be extinguished or spread with the strong mountain winds at night.
On the second day, more men and equipment arrived from Clan Norrey: five men with shovels and picks experienced in clearing paths when avalanches and landslides occur in the mountains. With their help, plus us, we're ten men in the workforce with shovels and picks. We proceeded to clear the clearing, grueling but rewarding work in its simplicity. Following the expert advice of the mountain men, it took us half a day to break and shovel the remaining debris to a pre-designated spot for reuse if needed. Once this was done, we took a short break to eat and drink before continuing with the work; there was still much to do. Then we proceeded to dig a trench from the cave to the clearing exit so the water could drain more quickly, following the path of the ditch we made on the first day so the water wouldn't pool in the cave's middle.
Afterwards, carefully, we fully unearthed the pedestal from the cave wall. With this done, evening approached, so we decided to end the work for the day.
On the third day, thanks to the trench that drained the water from the cave, which stopped seeping on the second day, we decided to prepare the cave floor. And by prepare, I mean create one from scratch. We excavated a layer of soil to level it with the exit, aligning it with the clearing ground. This took us most of the morning and midday to dig and remove the soil and stones from the cave to the clearing and then to the designated debris spot, separating earth and stones that could be used later for the floor once we need to pave it.
In the afternoon of the same day, riders and carts approached from the south. When they were close enough, we saw the banners with the Knots clan crest on them. It was a caravan of three wagons loaded with wood, plus ten mounted riders and, from what we could see, twenty workers marching with them and two more carts with supplies, water, and food. Leading the caravan on a massive black destrier was the obvious leader: Teo Knots, the second son of Lord Knots. Due to the current situation in the Knots house, Teo stopped being his brother's spare over four years ago since the heir's wife had two sets of twins, making Teo drop from third to seven in the line of succession, and unless something extraordinarily bad happens, that won't change.
I decided to personally greet him with Owen at the clearing's mouth connecting to the meadow, creating a natural choke point. If properly fortified, maybe with a palisade on both sides, wooden walls, and a watchtower with a strong gate that could be locked. Owen had one of the guards bring a tray with the softest bread we had left and salt to offer. The guest rites were important to establish that this camp wasn't temporary. In the three days since this started, I could gradually see the place's real potential. The nearest river was an hour away, but it was clear there was an underground aquifer beneath us with fresh water. We just needed to dig a well. I needed masons, farmers, and a couple of blacksmiths we could feed from the mountain itself: iron minerals, zinc, obsidian, and fake metal sometimes used for small colored obsidian jewel found throughout the mountain range, according to Owen. The meadow soil is fertile and vast; farms as far as the eye can see, all with some work, of course we'll have to talk to the night watch; we can probably reach some kind of agreement. And last but not least, there's the Wolf Forest, full of game, berries, and both regular and ironwood. While making my internal plans for the future, Teo has already arrived.
He's a bear disguised as a man, completely dressed in animal furs and leathers from head to toe, all finely crafted despite the rough material, with a massive battle axe strapped to one side of his horse's saddle, which he dismounts from in one practiced move. He's as big as he is tall; I suppose he inherited his appearance from his mother, who was from House Umber, if my time under Luwin's teachings doesn't fail me. On his face, a smile from ear to ear adorns his brown beard like his shoulder-length hair, his eyes a rare light green for the North, and a nose broken in two places, giving him a very unusual appearance.
"My lord Teo, welcome to the camp."
The man let out a long, deep laugh that echoed through the clearing and the mountains.
"Thank you very much, my lord Jon, it is my honor to be here and provide aid to House Stark."
As he says this, our arms intertwine in greeting before Teo does the same with Owen.
"Guest rites." Teo, smiling, takes them to proceed with a jape about the hardness of the bread.
"My lord, to a place where we can have a more private conversation."
"Of course, this way."
I indicated for him to follow me, but before doing so, Teo directed the workers who came with him to start unloading the carts and asked me where we could store the wood and materials. I instructed my own men to help and show the place we set aside and prepared for this. Once done, we took Teo to the place where my camp and Owen's were set up, a bit away from the guards and workers, enough to have privacy, but not so much as to insult them with the distance, giving the impression they weren't worthy of sharing the same place with us.
"Alright, my lord, what do you know?"
"Apart from what the raven your lord father sent, absolutely nothing, and by the old gods, tell me Teo, aren't we in the South?"
"Okay, Teo, then you can call us Jon and Owen. Let me explain what's happened so far."
We went into a long explanation about the gate, the travelers, the diplomatic meeting, and the mission assigned to me. Every detail was listened to with a face of incredulity until we took him to the cave and showed him the machine, device, or magical object. I still haven't decided which one. I'm not even going to try to pronounce Chappa'ai, and gate to the stars seems too long.
"By the seven hells and the old gods."
A small laugh escaped our lips at seeing Teo's reaction so similar to ours the first time we laid eyes on the gate to the stars.
"And that's the situation we find ourselves in now. What help do you bring us, Teo?"
With this question, the lord of the Knots clan lost his joviality and became serious. Given the situation, he stood straight, and despite having his arms crossed over his chest, his enormity was evident. If I hadn't met Jon Umber and his father at Winterfell, I'd say he's the biggest man I've ever seen.
"Well, aside from myself, my experience, and my natural talent for everything I do."
The pair gave him a look that said they weren't amused by his jape. The big mountain man let a smile break the seriousness of his face.
"Alright, seriously. I brought wood, tools to work it, buckets for holding and carrying water, and tend to conduct the meeting, and five carts, each with a pair of draft horses big and strong enough to haul production from the farms you plan to create in the Gift, or bring more logs from the nearby forest to prepare or use raw here. The ones I brought are ready-to-use planks. Additionally, and no less important, twenty workers, a mason, and a carpenter. The mounted riders, unfortunately, are just an escort and will leave once they ensure everything is alright and return to my clan's lands."
"Don't worry, you've already helped us more than we expected. But I understand the mason, wouldn't a blacksmith be better?"
"Well, if you want chairs and tables made of metal, but I think that would be a bit costly."
"I'm an idiot."
A burst of laughter erupted from the man and, like everything from him, it was big and deep. The echo of the small cave didn't help.
"No, just young and inexperienced."
The young man felt an invisible weight on his shoulders. All the doubts and feelings of inadequacy for the task entrusted to him returned to the forefront of his mind until he felt a strong hand on his shoulder, looking up to meet the older man's eyes, still considered in the prime of his life.
The man placed one of his calloused hands from the hard life in the clan on the young lord's shoulder.
"Don't worry, time will give you experience and using it will turn it into wisdom. This will make you a respected lord who will bring honor to yourself and your house, and we will be here to help you."
The wise words reached his soul, heart, and mind. He may not have experience being a lord, but that doesn't mean he can't learn. Determination filled the young man once again.
"We?"
"If you think I'm not going to participate in what could be the most momentous event since the Conqueror, let me tell you that's not going to happen, unless the others decide to return and storm the Wall."
A small laugh was heard from the three men.
"After all this, if my father doesn't simply decide to bury the gate to the stars back where it was, then you can swear your loyalty and I will take you as one of my vassals."
"It will be my honor, my lord."
And with everything said, there was nothing left but to plan the next twenty-five days, and plan they did: three palisades, one at each entrance, plus the last one guarding the entrance to the cave. All made of freshly cut logs brought from the Wolf Forest, with their respective doors and bars. The tent for the diplomatic meeting will be placed in the center of the clearing, in front of the cave entrance. The master carpenter will focus on making chairs and the table from the prepared planks that Teo brought, as many as possible so they can be reused later. The master mason will help with the floor and reinforcing the walls. We'll try to enlarge the exit and create a sort of hall around the door without the mountain collapsing on us. We'll bring water from the nearby river to make mortar and use the stones and debris we cleared from the clearing and cave over these three days. The master mason believes they will be enough, along with all the material we need to remove to turn the cave into a hall.
Day twenty-seven. I must say I really underestimated the capabilities I thought we had. It's not a total disaster, but we didn't manage to accomplish everything we proposed. At least, all the essential parts were finished: the palisades, all complete with their doors; the cave, only the floor and entrance walls were leveled and reinforced; the table and chairs for the meeting, all ready. They aren't the finest, but they'll do their job well. It took more wood than anticipated, so with the surplus, we built a platform to raise the tent off the ground by two feet, with its corresponding stairs.
All of this was ready by yesterday at sunset, after twenty-six days of non-stop work, only pausing to eat, drink, and sleep a couple of hours. The body, soul, and mind simply couldn't take anymore, so I decided to give everyone the remaining two days off to recover.
Day twenty-eight. Everyone is finally here: my father, brother, Lord Brandon, young Brandon, and to my surprise, Lord Lothor Burley, the third son of the lord of the same name. Burley Lothor is in a more precarious position than Teo. Not only are his two elder brothers married with several sons, but also a couple of sisters. Moreover, his older brothers are children of Lord Lothor's first wife, and his sisters and he of the second, leaving his future uncertain. Upon hearing the news that House Stark would need men for a project, he didn't hesitate to follow my father and his caravan here.
And to everyone's surprise, my uncle Benjen, with an escort from the Night's Watch, arrived from the Gift. So my father, Robb, and I brought him up to speed, and he proceeded to show his discontent with our actions and, despite our foolishness, he was proud of the men we were becoming as we grew up.
But now we were in front of the door, and it started to turn. The symbols, one by one, connected until the last, and the door to the stars opened.