"No, Argilac! Don't eat that!" My little aunt Allyria took the toy from my hands.
"Generally, children whose mothers die during childbirth tend to have health problems," Grandpa Ulther Dayne he said. "But thank the Seven, Argilac is a very healthy child."
I am well aware of that; usually, when I begin a new life, the first thing I do is try to eat everything with my baby body. A baby's strong appetite is the greatest proof of health.
Chattering to myself, I reach for the bottle given to me, pressing it into my mouth with all my strength and drinking the milk eagerly. I can see my grandparents looking at me with great joy. I am their first grandchild, a piece of their late daughter, and they are truly grateful that I am a healthy child. Grandma visits the sept every day to thank the Seven.
Especially in infancy, this is the most critical period to invest in the future and get ahead of my peers. If I lived in a world with mana or aura, I would spend at least half of my day meditating and accumulating mana in my core. However, the continent I live on, Westeros, has very little mana and no aura at all. Available mana can be used, but it doesn't make a significant difference.
Being born in a world without mana can be as advantageous as it is disadvantageous. Every day before going to bed, I spend half an hour circulating mana within my body, so my body develops faster. By the time I reach 15, I will have a fit and functional body, but it will still be a human body, meaning I won't perform supernatural actions. Still, I will be in a much superior position compared to other people.
What's the upside of living in a world without mana? No one will be able to defeat me in a one-on-one fight. I am a professional reincarnator who has lived hundreds of lives. The swordsmanship style I developed for mana-less worlds is unrivaled. It has been perfected over hundreds of lifetimes and can only be used by me because it requires a high level of combat instinct. In a one-on-one duel with my famous uncle, Arthur Dayne, I might break a sweat to win, but in reality, for a true challenge, I should face 2 or 3 Arthur Daynes. Does that sound exaggerated? It's not. If I really struggle in battle, I can infuse mana into my body to increase my speed and strength a little more. No, I will never have a body that is immune to arrows, but by using the small amount of mana this world provides, I can support my body and remove most poisons from it.
What's the downside of living in a world without mana? I won't have the conveniences that mana would provide. If I lived in a modern world, the internet could somewhat make up for it, but this is a medieval world, and I don't have such advantages. Yes, my swordsmanship style is unrivaled, and I am absolutely serious when I say there is no one in this world I can't defeat in a one-on-one fight, but this will not make a difference in a war. No matter how skilled a swordsman I become, if I get shot in the wrong spot in battle, I will die. It's that simple.
In my previous life as Shikim Khemir, I had vast mana and aura at sea level, but I didn't have divine power because having divine power requires the sponsorship of a god. In that life, the mission I was given required me to defy the gods and their churches. Prince Arnold Acker, who killed me, used divine power. I don't know if the gods of Westeros really exist or if divine power exists here—cases where neither exist are not rare. I will need to investigate this, but I can't do that in my baby body. Touching the divine realm of gods is a delicate matter, so I need to grow, prepare, and develop first.
"My lord, my lady. Lord Rickard and Lord Eddard just sailed to the Starfall port and are requesting to enter the castle."
"That bitch..."
"Enough! Alara!" My grandfather looked at my grandmother sternly. "We knew they were coming in advance, we communicated with the raven, so we can't be disrespectful in any way."
"They want to take my grandchild from me!" my grandmother shouted.
"Argilac is also Lord Rickard's grandchild," my grandfather said with a grim face. "And his last name is Stark."
"All of this happened because you arranged a marriage for our little girl."
As the argument continued loudly, I ignored the surroundings and kept drinking my milk. You probably noticed by now, but the relations between both sides of my family are tense.
The foundation of this story lies in the reason my parents married. During the War of the Ninepenny Kings, my grandfather Ulther Dayne saved the life of my other grandfather, Rickard Stark. Grateful for his only son surviving, my great-grandfather, Edwyle Stark, told Ulther Dayne that he could ask anything of him. Seeing an opportunity for the future of House Dayne, Ulther grandfather requested a Stark match for his little daughter Ashara, and great-grandfather Edwyle agreed to this request.
Years later, my grandfather Rickard brought his second son, Eddard, from his training in the Eyrie to Starfall to fulfill the promise. Here, my mother and father's marriage took place. Though there was a grand ceremony for Dorne—my mother's friend, Princess Elia, attended with her husband, the Crown Prince—no Stark family member, except for my grandfather Rickard, attended. I know this because my grandmother Alara frequently complains about this 'Hakaratten.'
Anyway, nine months after the wedding, I was born in Starfall, and my mother died during childbirth. When it was clear that I was a healthy child and fit for travel, my father wanted to take me to the Eyrie. His training had been delayed, and he needed to return. He wanted to take me with him, though it goes without saying, this idea was not at all welcomed by my grandfather and grandmother. Eventually, my father had to return to the Eyrie alone.
For the next six months, ravens traveled between Starfall and Winterfell, and some of the letters probably contained curses. My grandfather, Rickard Stark, repeatedly reminded my other grandfather, Ulther Dayne, through angry letters that I was his first grandchild and, as a Stark, I naturally should have been raised in Winterfell. Eventually, the Martell family had to intervene. In short, my days in Starfall will soon come to an end.
I am being dressed, carried, and taken towards the castle's guest hall. Inside, loud arguing can be heard. My grandfather Ulther is arguing with a man around 40-50 years old, with brown hair and gray eyes, who closely resembles my father. It was not hard to recognize my grandfather Rickard Stark.
"Please calm down, I ask you to behave according to your age." A man with wheat-colored skin, wearing a Martell seal on his tunic, was trying to calm the situation by pinching the bridge of his nose. Beside him, another man who resembled him and carried a spear on his back had an amused expression on his face. I think these are Doran and Oberyn Martell.
"Argilac!" Finally, I hear my father's voice, which I haven't heard in months. He quickly takes me from the servant's arms and checks my physical health. He looks quite happy and grateful for what he sees.
My development seems to have eased the tense atmosphere in the room a bit. "I request to be alone with my grandchild. I'm sure the Daynes can offer such basic hospitality," mutters my grandfather Rickard.
Grandmother Alara likely opens her mouth to give a foul-mouthed response, but Doran Martell immediately raises his hand to intervene. "Yes, that will be done. We will leave the room so that Lord Rickard can see his first grandchild." He gives the Daynes a commanding look, and then the room is cleared. I'm left alone with my grandfather and father.
My grandfather, careful as if I were a delicate vase, gently picks me up and examines my face. There is no trace of the stern man I saw when he entered the room; in fact, his expression is quite fatherly. "He looks just like you, Ned, but he took his mother's hair and eyes, and his chin line is like his uncle Arthur's." He smiles while looking at me. "I think Brandon has lost his title as the most handsome of House Stark."
I sigh as I examine my grandfather's kind and loving face.
Well, I suppose I could get used to House Stark.