Chapter 31: c31
Situations throughout the kingdoms
-West. Asgard. Winterfell. 285 AC-
-Family Room-
Harry was calmly looking at the Winterfell recreation room he had made for his family, his reason? Kids needed to be kids and he had no interest in his kids spending the entire damn day just doing what was basically studying and practicing. They needed to relax somehow.
It had turned out to be a great idea and soon many people's children were using not only their recreation room but also the recreation room that was in Wintercity. All for the good of the children. Children deserved to be children. And also with the new way of teaching it was effectively proven that there were more things to worry about.
The kingdom of Asgard seemed similar. Magic was the answer to solving many situations. One form of remuneration that Harry used was potions for workers in both the mines and the fields designed to help them achieve better health. This helped them a lot and at the same time made them loved.
The workers on the different farms and much more were more or less happy. And unlike their world where people grew up with an exaggerated sense of entitlement, here people had things clearer. Each job had its obligations, could they aspire to more? Yeah. But a better-paying job meant more responsibilities, something that is made clear.
The good news at least in Harry's mind is that people weren't leaving the field. The countryside was a guarantee of work that did not require studies except for the basics and little else. Were there people who aspired to be more? Yeah. But those people knew that they had to earn it and that nothing and no one would give it to them.
But with the new advantages come certain drawbacks. Some people rose up demanding more rewards, less taxes and much more. Ironically, just as happened with communism, these were people who belonged to the rich sector of society who aspired to eliminate the ruling families to put themselves in power.
Unfortunately for them…Harry didn't play fair. In one of his big meetings he confronted them. He forces them to admit their true plans, their intentions and more. People could be sheep. But knowing that they are using and manipulating you and planning to take away even more rights than you had could break any plan they had for you.
He's never had a problem helping people. Hell now there were ministries for people to work if they were educated enough. But the good news is that it had prevented the bureaucracy. The thought of something interrupting his efficient work pissed him off in so many ways.
Another type of problem had also arrived: religion. Religion was still a fucking problem. People still thought of him as some kind of messiah and saw his children as some kind of gifts from heaven...or in short, threats because they were the children of a southern woman.
It was a headache that if he was honest he would rather not have had to deal with. The city guard had also discovered numerous groups of foreign agents. Apparently his children had a high price as slaves in what was Essos. He hadn't exactly been happy with it. And his wife had been less happy.
Even when they killed everyone who came, they kept coming. For some strange reason they thought that if they had time and resources they could do it. Curiously, those who offered the most for their children were the magisters of Myr who were already having a hard time thanks to their glass trade.
That brought back another unpleasant memory in the form of Myr having recently allied himself with Tyrosh and Lys. A true alliance of the three sisters. Everything to face the threat of her in a few words. Today the three cities lived with fewer resources and now felt threatened by Volantis.
The men and women of Myr had put a price on the lives of their children thinking they could use it for currency or deals of some kind. She knew that although they were daring, it was not just them who had flat stories for their children since not everyone and their mother were interested in them.
As expected in his children, his magic had been noticed, which is something. His son Cregan had been able to move things with her mind. On the other hand, Belladonna had a truly terrifying gift for illusions. Hell one of the attackers who had been supported by a warlock from Qarth of all things went mad courtesy of his daughter's illusions.
Naturally such actions were tiring not only Ashara. But also Elia and Shelia. Elia…was pregnant once again. From her son. The woman was shocked. After what she told Pycelle that she could never be a mother. The ritual of help that she performed and her treatments gave her body strength to return to being what she wanted most: to be a mother.
She was not the only one because Shelia was also pregnant and was looking forward to becoming a mother. Harry almost had a heart attack. He was going to be a father again. Ashara had made it clear to her that until her children were about six years old she did not want to be a mother again. Just to want to make sure that the elders could be good influences on her younger children.
Well it seemed like he wasn't the only one since his brothers were also parents. Ned had been the father of a boy and a girl. The boy's name was Robert which surprised him until he said that if they had been able to discipline Robert he was sure he would have been a force to be reckoned with in more than one field and not just be what he was now.
The girl was called Sansa. Ned's wife Rhialle of Norvos was happy with her husband. And she had called her children with those names in honor of the fact that she was now a Westerosi. And seeing that she was part of Asgard she had looked for northern names. She had to admit that her brother had had good taste. A redhead with violet eyes. That should say it all.
Benjen and Darcey were expecting their first child, the bear was more than happy...although he felt a little more than sorry for the trouble she caused since there had been a couple of attempts to get to her. Her siblings were safe thanks to the wards that let them know about threats but the dangers were still there which was a pain in her ass.
With so many Stark potentials one had forgotten about his sister. After having Jon they had to be careful. A lot. Lyanna was too young when she had her child and it could have cost her her life. If it weren't for a ritual to expand her life force it was very possible that her sister would have died even with all the improvements in the birth systems.
As if that weren't enough, the sparks of R'hllor that were still fucking alive had tried to get into his nephew's body. He had had to considerably strengthen the forces in the protection rituals. Even with most of their being destroyed the great priests who had the sparks of that monster in them were still causing problems.
The good news in that area was that he had been able to start a hunt. Braavos who had been eager to get along with him once again had been very nice and had tried to eliminate the faith of the red god from his city. And they had been successful. Unfortunately it was not the same in the other free cities.
As most of the magisters would say, and even more so, his presence was a threat. Harry knew that people had no fucking idea about his magical abilities. They only knew what word spread on the trident or much more. But the reality is that they didn't know more. But they still saw it as a threat.
Even with their god in pieces the priests used magic. The method they used was the sacrifice of mortals to store their energy and use it later. And seeing that there were always pickpockets, murderers, rapists and pirates, the free cities had people to be sacrificed by them to thus increase the power of their priests.
The war was far from over. But as long as there is no significant movement against him, he would not start a war. Lately she had been happy to see the power of his kingdom grow and that was enough. Besides, if he was sincere, he preferred to let them continue with the rope that would hang them of all things.
''You know seeing yourself upset is always fun. You should relax a little and not let anger consume you. "Things are far from being as bad as you think and it's our children's day." Ashara approached her husband who was standing like a protective wolf while he watched her children play fun.
''It's just the massive amount of shit I have to deal with. By the gods the number of idiots that seem to come out from under the stones seems to be unprecedented.'' The idiots seemed to think that because he was certainly nice they had some kind of power. Talk about being an idiot.
''You should have expected it. People can be blind, short-sighted and even idiotic. You know that shit better than anyone. If they think they can get away with it they will do it. Despite your reputation, people will try to push the limit. She assumed that everyone who was bothering him was trying to see where her husband's limits were.
''what a fucking headache. I'll let it be for the day. "Our children deserve a little more in life than the possibility of seeing their father upset just because there are people who are too idiotic to live." Harry lived for his children. If someone tried to fuck with them he would break it very quickly.
''Well at least you know that your little playground has become a great success. You just have to see the number of people who are happy and see their children play.'' The park used runes to make everything work for the children's entertainment. He thought that was better than leaving muggle entertainment.
''I know you think that abusing magic can be a great pain, darling, but I wanted to give our children a little more joy. And I didn't want any more kids to get jealous of the fun they were having." Jealousy is bad. And he knew that many of the traitors among his ranks were traitors because of their ability to use magic.
''The only reason it bothers me is because I think you are making magic look like something very valuable and many would kill to get their hands on magic. You have already seen how far she is willing to go Myr." As her husband's wife and winter king she had access to many reports. The shit in them could be annoying.
''Yeah. Myr seems to think that the solution to her problems just because they are not able to compete with us economically is to get her hands on our children. And don't talk to me about the witches and the people of Ashai.'' They were a pest on the best of days. A virus at worst.
''they won't stop. Not when they think they have the key to Asgard's success at their fingertips. Magic is power. The fact that you are using it with such skill makes them more and more jealous. I don't know how far they would be able to go to get their hands on magic.'' Ashara knew that the image was not exactly pretty.
''If they even remotely think that they will be able to lay a hand on my children with any of you, they will learn the hard way the mistake of thinking like that. "I will not consent to it in any way." There was one absolute truth about him: family comes first. Before they would burn in hell itself.
''as long as you are at least aware husband. It's good to know that you know which is saying something. "Now please let's focus on how our children are playing with the children and with Jon." Ashara looked at her nephew fondly. The boy might have the title of bastard but people treated him like one of the Stark family.
Harry sighed. He knew his wife's reasons for being like this. And he had to admit that he was right. His wife only feared what she could happen to his family if they were not on their guard. His children, his family. Everyone was a target. Hell Ned had written to inform her that his own children were showing traits of magic. So yes. Concern and alert levels were at the highest.
Soon the entire group was joined by two women who looked very pregnant accompanied by a little girl. Rhaenys Targaryen was an angel in everything Harry could say. The girl was not only a good person but she had accepted him as a father without further ado. As for Elia and Shelia, both of them looked happy to see so many children having fun.
''Rhaenys, by the gods, you look more beautiful every day. When you reach the age we will have to keep the suitors away from you.'' Ashara laughed before feeling a spike of energy. She had to contain her smile as she felt her husband's unprecedented anger. The thought of a shitty bastard approaching her little girl possibly made him angry.
''Thank you Aunt Ash. Uncle Harry, thank you for your gift. I loved the piano. Is incredible. And the music that comes out of it is fascinating.'' During his last birthday Harry gave him an enchanted piano. Needless to say, it was different from any normal piano and the young princess was more than excited about the gift.
''was nothing. I just thought you might enjoy a little of what is certainly an appreciable gift. That is, have you seen most of the gifts that people give each other? Skins, swords, bows. I thought you would enjoy something more artistic.'' Rhaenys was a true lover of art so she just thought of giving him something normal and simple.
''Thank you uncle for that. And if. I find it most fascinating. The musical notes doing what they do seems most satisfying to me. I wish more people could enjoy it." Rhaenys smiled at her uncle, grateful for the precious gift. He also demonstrated his kindness by wishing more people the same gifts.
''I'm afraid that at the moment that is not possible. Magic is something very valuable Rhaenys. "I don't want to try to make a class separation but giving enchanted items to people who don't possess magic is something that can't be done at the moment." Not unless he found a power battery and it didn't involve what those damn priests did.
''Oh it's a shame. Anyway thanks man. I'm going with Cregan. Gods know what kind of trouble he's capable of getting into if Belladonna and I aren't around to rein him in a bit.' Rhaenys laughed thinking about all the boy's craziness. She just avoided the gaze of both parents who sighed.
''The truth is I have to agree with her. Our son has somehow inherited your family's luck. And here I thought that with you giving up the name Potter you would have a less complicated life.'' Ashara laughed. Potter luck had followed him despite his refusal to consider himself a Potter of all things.
''Please don't remind me. I think ending up roasted with three women is part of my luck. Now let's move on to Shelia and Elia. I want to see how they are. "I prefer to be sure that the two of them are not having a bad time." Some would call him overprotective. He would only reason that he was making sure they both didn't strain themselves in their states.
Elia and Shelia were at that moment laughing at a group of children who were playing in the ball pit for fun and who were participating in a real fun contest. They both had to admit that they were jealous. I wish their lives could have been as carefree as these children's. But they were happy with their current state.
''Are you sure it's best for you to be up here right now? With your advanced state I don't know if I would like you to be here.'' Harry approached both women with cause for concern. He feared what might happen to the two women which was certainly understandable.
''Stop being a party pooper honey. You must also recognize that spending the entire day just sitting or lying down or reading is not the most entertaining. "They wanted to enjoy seeing a group of children and I think that is more than understandable." Ashara lightly hit her husband while she looked at her marital partners.
''You're too cute. The big bad wolf that would crush his enemies and make them cry with blood and fear for their lives is shaking in his boots for whatever we do. You are certainly fun husband.'' Elia laughed at her husband as she thought about how funny it was to go from a husband like Rhaegar to Hariric. There was no point of comparison.
''more than cute. You have to admit, watching him think through the most devious and terrible ways to hurt people is incredibly funny if I do say so myself.'' Shelia approached her husband before giving him a kiss. She was very happy now that she was on her way to having a family.
''I have a damn reputation to maintain and my romantic partners are dedicated in every way possible to making me look like a pet wolf. He talks about having fallen to the lowest point." Harry laughed, amused at the look his wives were giving him. Although they later pointed out to Fenrir that he was with Cregan and Nightshade.
''Please don't try to pretend that you're not a nice, fluffy guy. We all know that level of cruelty that you can have but we also know the love that is in your heart for all your loved ones. Ashara gave her husband a loving smile letting him know that he was not cheating on her.
''Please, he is possibly a man a thousand times more worthy than most of the southern idiots who simply think that being a lord is sitting on top. Treat family like mere furniture. And later sell the family as if they were articles." Elia venomously spat what family was essentially for southerners.
''Not to say that he is the best companion a woman could hope for. That is to say, in addition to being an excellent lover, you listen, pay attention and treat us with respect. Yep. You're a good big bad wolf who loves to be fluffy.'' Shelia laughed even more and her sister wives smiled with the same attitude.
''For the gods, someone explain to me what I did to deserve such a thing as treatment. Let's leave it. "I want to see my kids enjoy the day before I have to go back to the damn paperwork." Whoever said that being a lord was a simple job was a high-level idiot if he had to say so.
The three women nodded. Fortunately for him he had them. Between the three of them he had a lot of work completed and done. Asara and Elia helped him with his business affairs which were massive while Shelia continued with his work as administrator of the spy network. They were the best companions a person could hope to have in life.
Meanwhile Harry watched his children enjoy themselves. While many would think that Fenrir was there playing anyone who knew better he could tell that Fenrir was there as protection. His wolf companion was always with his pups thinking about keeping him safe. He would have to find her a good partner. He could give the next generations of Starks his wolf companions.
The three women just sighed, looking at their husband. He was really busy and despite this he made time for his family thinking that they were worth the time and effort. Hell he was a better father than any little shit and he was a great lord. The three of them agreed that this was the example of what a gentleman should be.
What Ashara didn't tell her fellow wives is that this is what they would have to expect from her husband. She could remember before she died as Nymphadora how her husband not only made sure of Black resources. No. He also used his time for family. And seeing him dedicate himself so completely to her family was enough to make her remember.
Ashara didn't want to shudder but she knew she couldn't have gotten a better husband and partner. What was he supposed to say huh? Was her husband supposed to be an insufferable little jerk who left it up to everyone else to do whatever he wanted to do to himself? Ha, what a great shit.
She knew that her husband would not hesitate to do what was necessary for his family. For a moment she thought about her family. The Daynes. He wondered what things were like for them these days. But at the same time she couldn't say that she felt much compassion about what happened to them. Not when she could remember the last letter they sent her in friendly terms.
His family was this and he would make sure that people paid in blood before they even dreamed that they could even lay a hand on him. Screw everyone who just thinks they can get away with his family. Besides, Dorne had what he had earned. They should have stayed apart in the war and they didn't so shit for them.
That reminded him of his brother Arthur. He was working in the mines obviously not having a good time. He deserved it. He...hadn't warned them. He had given more importance to some vows as a knight. He had given more importance to a clearly delusional prince. Before his little sister. He could have warned them about the Freys. But he did not. Screw her where she was concerned.
A sound caught his attention and he went to see Fenrir on top of his son and licking his face while his son laughed. This was what was worth going to war for. And if the south thought that he could somehow come for his family he would make sure that they paid in blood for it since he would not let them go free if they dared.
-The Six Kingdoms. Crownlands. King's landing
Cersei Lannister was looking closely at the city she lived in...it smelled like shit. The city she ruled since her husband preferred to do many other things. She was the one running this and she was with the small council making sure things didn't end badly. But that didn't mean she didn't have anger.
Oh yes sir I felt a lot of anger at that moment. There was nothing he wanted more than to break those damn northerners. Asgard. Ha. They were the North. An uncivilized kingdom full of beasts more than anything. That's what she thought of the members of that place. And yet they had dared to separate themselves from the kingdoms and turn their backs on him.
She had advocated launching an attack against that upstart kingdom that she thought could even dare to refuse to recognize the power of the other kingdoms. From her house. But instead of accepting the king's hand she advocated not attacking that kingdom and letting them be for a while.
They had then tried a policy but soon realized that their boycott plan against the businesses of said kingdom did not work. People wanted their products. Its silk, its spices, its liquors, its glass, its foods. They loved him very much. And simply trying to negotiate aggressively with them just didn't work.
The houses of the six kingdoms had wanted to try in some way to get their hands on their resources. Gods didn't know how much money had been spent trying to sabotage and obtain information from the North. All in vain. Magic. Damn magic. That's what he had to explain how that upstart Hariric Stark was able to prevent his business from being known.
Magic. Such a power that it was worth mentioning. A power that was capable of gods you know what...and it was in the hands of those savages. She despised them. Why didn't she have such power huh? Didn't she deserve it? Did she not have the right to such power as the queen she was? Instead those savages possessed him.
If you had to believe the legends, magic was a power that only the gods knew could do. Their whisper advisor couldn't keep track of them. He had obtained information. How they were being educated. But how they found them and how they trained them was a big no that was unacceptable in Cersei's mind.
As if that wasn't bad enough was the fact that Hariric Stark was a damn upstart dog who refused to accept the demands and offers of various houses. For his daughter. For his son. Many thought they could win the sympathy of the North. And all the letters with proposals were returned with a single message: not interested.
She wanted to tease. She knew that her father had talked about offering some people from the cadet branches. Her uncle Gerion had a bastard daughter named Joy. She thought it was poetic that the dogs got from House Lannister what only suited them. Instead Hariric Stark responded that House Lannister had nothing to offer to an alliance with the North so there would be no marriage.
That made her angry. Nothing to offer? they? They were the richest house of the six kingdoms. They commanded the most powerful army. They were powerful and influential people, and that laughing wolf thought they had nothing to give? This made her very angry and there was nothing she wanted more than to send a message to the North because of her audacity.
So I had been investigating. Looking for anything beneficial to her to hurt those damn Starks. One day. Everything that was Stark would be his. Damn everything. She didn't care who she had to kill to get her way and more importantly whether she could be able to get her hands on that infuriating Hariric Stark better.
''Lady Cersei the hand has sent for the small council. Apparently her presence is expected.' One of the maids wasted no time in saying the message. Then she left. Only idiots stayed too long in the vicinity of Cersei Lannister.
Cersei nodded. Dressing in a gold and red dress (once again made of damned northern silk and northern jewels) she moved. Accompanied by a royal guard she was just thinking about what else had changed and not in the way she was supposed to be, at least not in her mind.
Their plan had been to have Robert as king and his brother in the guard...that went to hell. As part of paying for House Lannister's support of the new Baratheon dynasty without the heavy support of the Starks, her father demanded two things: that she marry Robert and that her brother be removed from the royal guard. . That had pissed her off.
Currently he had a child. Her father had been direct with her. He knew of certain things she had done with Jaime and warned her that if for some reason she did not see Baratheon children and they all looked like Lannisters she would have a hard time since he would not risk the position of her house for her. She had to admit that it pissed her off a lot.
So far she had had only one child. A young man named Steffon. The boy had blue eyes and black baratheon hair. Every time he looked at him he couldn't help but get angry thinking that he was the son of that brute and oaf. Now she herself was pregnant again although she was not from Robert but from Jaime.
His father had made it clear that once Edrick was old enough he would be raised by him to become king. At first Jon Arryn was against it. According to Jon himself, he was sure that between his father, his faithful council and that of other great lords and knights there would be no problems.
At first it seemed to be simple…until the expenses started. Robert spent…a lot. He was a spendthrift. He ordered the good Fire Whiskey from the North. And he wasn't the only one. So soon the big money bills began to appear and Tywin made an offer that unfortunately none of them could resist despite Cersei's annoyance.
In exchange for lending the necessary gold at a good cost and with a reduction in the return, they would have to give him to Steffon so that he could educate him. Jon had thought for a moment about turning him over to the members of House Tyrell. But well, Robert made it clear that he preferred not to have anything to do with the roses.
In that case I could agree. The roses would have manipulated him. He was aware of the young woman who was Margaret Tyrell. Many thought she could outshine women of great beauty like her (curiously no one said the same about the beautiful Ashara Dayne) and feared that she could potentially manipulate her son in some way.
Cersei growled. She didn't love steffon. He was a bad message in her opinion. At least in her opinion the child was better off dead. But her father had made it very clear that if anything happened to the boy he would go ask her and she would be received with all the honors in the worst possible way courtesy of what were essentially her father's own tormentors.
He didn't like it very much and in fact shuddered. His father did not make idle threats. What he said he promised and fulfilled, damn what anyone else says. He was terrifying in his mind. But she calmed herself as best she could, thinking that his father could not live forever and then the child would in no way be alive any longer. At least that's what she believed.
With a sigh he opened the door of the tower office hand in hand and there he found all the members. Among them was the new coin lord in the form of Petyr Baelish. She didn't know how Jon Arryn had been able to get him of all things into the council but apparently said young man was responsible for the rapid economic recovery of what was Gullport.
But he wasn't the most surprising. No. The most surprising was neither more nor less than that of his own husband, the king. Robert looked like a monster. Her husband only did three things: fuck, drink and train. He was well known of man's love of combat and that is what he did very often. So seeing him there when he didn't want to be said a lot.
''Your grace, thank you for coming. With everyone present I think I can talk about what an important meeting is. Information that I think we should all want to know. Lord Varys please.'' Jon had to admit that he had been impressed when he first heard of the eunuch.
''Thank you my lord hand. I bring worrying news although it could be used. The Winter King Hariric Sark has married and has two new wives. And they are both pregnant.'' Varys smiled knowing how the council members would see him for sure.
''Don't call him king. He is not a king. The Starks bowed in their day. I don't recognize him as a king. And the only reason we should care which Whore that man sleeps with or who he marries seems just idiotic to me.'' Cersei only let her opinion of the winter king be known, attracting everyone's attention.
''He is a king. Whether we like him or not. We do not receive taxes from the North. His men and women do not recognize us. So we are just two kingdoms that coexist at this moment in a tense peace at best.'' Gods how it pained Jon Arryn to admit that. It was disastrous at best.
''Maybe it's good that he is marrying two other women and having children with them. It could mean that we could take advantage and try to start a little situation between the different ladies for whom he will be the heir.' Hoster had an evil smile just thinking about hurting that upstart Stark.
"And if we try anything and Hariric Stark finds out, tell us, will you sacrifice yourself for everyone by being the one who gave the suggestion of an idea that served no more and no less than to attract the wrath of said man to our door, Lord Hoster?" Stannis was less than happy just at the thought of inciting war.
''That's if Stark is still alive when we do that. He has so many enemies. The free cities that are part of Valyria think badly of him for his part in making the north a powerful kingdom that takes away business from them.' Hoster had looked at the reports himself. The amount of business was incredible.
''That is if they are successful. We don't know the extent of his magic so we don't know what he would be capable of with his powers. He might be able to defend himself. And in case someone attacks him, we know what will fall on them. What does the citadel have to say about this man's knowledge of magic?'' Jon started to look at said maester who did not look happy.
''From what we have obtained from the books of the past in the North, four different types of magic were practiced. The best known is called a skinchanger, which allows a person to take control of an animal and handle it at their entire disposal. The maester was furious about the subject of magic. She should have stayed dead.
''Gods what I could do with such a gift. If they are able to use it, they could use it on the battlefield. They wouldn't have to deploy trackers or anything. "They could send these skinchangers ahead and be able to learn everything." Robert made the expected military comment and everyone knew what the man thought of it.
''That actually explains the war better. They were better prepared. "They were watching the steps of the Targaryen family and knew their movements better than anyone." Ser Barristan admitted with annoyance. He would never forgive himself for having failed the prince of all things and for things to be what they are today.
''The next magical gift was called shapeshifter allowing a human to take an animal form. The records don't speak too well of them and they aren't cited much but they could have a spirit animal that they connected with and became one.'' Pycelle hated him. She hated having to bring up a damn topic like this.
"As if nothing more were needed to know that the northerners are mere beasts." Cersei couldn't help her brusque comment, earning glances from everyone present.
''I would be very careful referring to such a fucking useful skill in such a way. If they have that ability, does it mean that in human form they are capable of having animal instincts and traits? Greater strength, reflexes and much more. "That's what we're talking about, woman." Robert had to wonder what he thought was the idiot woman of all things.
''We don't know your majesty. There is no information other than the story. The third type of magic is a green seer. A person who is able to see the present, the past and, as they say, even the future. Daenys the Dreamer would have been an example of this." Pycelle wouldn't admit it but that ability scared him a lot.
''If he were able to see the past, a person would be able to see what happened and how to correct it in the present. If you can see the present, does that mean that you are then able to pay attention to everything around you? And as for the future it sounds like an advantageous skill in war.'' Stannis was analyzing it in great detail.
''A power like that would have meant a lot of changes. Knowing who committed a crime in the past? What events shaped things? How to make the impossible possible? That's an incredible skill in and of itself.'' Petyr had to admit that it sounded like a very scary ability that he preferred not to see even in his dreams.
''The last ability we maesters have heard about...is called runes. Many things have not been specified. Only the runes are capable of maintaining something. To do better. An example is the armor of the Royce house and its bronze sword. Pycelle could remember the annoyance of her companions at the mention of said ability.
''Ah yes the well-known bronze armor of Yohn Royce. It is said to be an armor that is strengthened by runes and is capable of making its wearer immune to wounds. I didn't really believe it, but truth be told, if those runes were real, it would be best to start studying them in some way.
"Perhaps we should request that House Royce hand over some of these so-called runes so that the citadel can study them and try to understand them in order to be able to act and understand this branch of magic." Petyr just wanted to enjoy the idea of screwing over one of the great houses in the valley if possible.
''Such a thing would only cause problems at best. The Royces wouldn't take kindly to it. They see those armors as their legacy. Will you ask each noble house to put up their relics so you can study them, Baelish?'' Hoster looked at the young man in question with not a little concealed anger. In his opinion he was a fool.
''The truth is that if it is true that the Starks have a way of making language somehow magical in writing, I think I would like to know how they do it. But what matters most to me is that this boy doesn't need sacrifices to make the magic work.'' Jon found that annoying. Magic has always involved sacrifice.
''Your maester tell us, how can that damned Hariric Stark be able to do magic without sacrifices? Even those dragon bastards needed to sacrifice their slaves to be able to do two shits." Robert shot a withering look at the maester who shuddered under said man's gaze.
''We don't know...it doesn't make sense. But in the books of northern magic the need for sacrifices of any kind to be able to do magic has never been mentioned. And maybe it's either that the magic of the north is weaker or simply different.'' Pycelle actually found it annoying. Magic without sacrifices? That would destroy his publicity about magic.
''That damned bastard is capable of wielding those damned powers. He is able to do things with his sword that no one else is capable of doing. I wouldn't be surprised if everything we know is possible thanks to his achievements with the runes. "I want to know if we can replicate it." Robert wasn't going to let anyone get over him. Shit about it.
''Why interested in being able to replicate it? "We should be more interested in controlling it and making sure that no one else succeeds." Jon didn't like magic. He was going against Andalus customs. So he naturally didn't like him in the slightest.
''because if that shitty bastard has more people capable of any of the aforementioned skills that gives him a military advantage over us. We don't know the extent of it. Nor his capabilities. But we know that the potential is there and we must get our own magic practitioners.'' Robert smiled just thinking about the idea.
''That? Are you crazy Robert? Faith alone would go crazy with the mere idea that we have practitioners of magic in our hands. "They would be far from happy." Jon could not conceive in his mind what had occurred to his old ward.
''Whether we like it or not the North or shitty Asgard they now have a force under their belt that gives them an advantage over us. We cannot allow that to continue. We need magic practitioners. When you have an enemy with a weapon you must get the same weapon to fight them. That was Robert's pure logic.
''And how would we train them Robert? We don't even know how Stark has been able to get the training in magic that he has. Nobody knows how. He just came out of nowhere with it.' Jon didn't want magic. Spot. Any magical potential would be eliminated…for the safety of all of them.
''I'm sure that with the immense amount of books that the citadel has, it must surely have a lot about those things. They will have something. We just have to find the magical ones and that's it...and after that we will think about how to take control of the North once again.'' It was a simple plan in Robert's mind.
Each one present had ideas about it. Different. Unique. Each group thought in a unique way. For example, Cersei hoped that any child she had with her brother would have magic to have that power in her family. Well Petyr just wanted to see how much he could sell a man or woman with magic.
Hoster frowned thinking that magic was just a threat to all of them. But it was Jon who thought that magic could be the biggest danger along with Varys who simply thought badly of magic because of his bad experience. None of these three had the intention of allowing people with magical potential.
-The Dominion. Highgarden-
-Hot Rose Terrace-
Olenna Tyrell was not a happy woman in recent years. How would she be? They had lost a considerable amount of power. Saving Mace and every oaf from that Northern bastard had been far from an easy task. The man in question was far from being nice to them seeing half the shit he cost them.
The man demanded that all of his kingdom's resources that would be sold through Oldtown be through warehouses. Drinks and much more came in and had enriched a single merchant who slowly but surely made a space for himself in the hightower city. No. Things were not going well.
The house had considerably lost its face. Well everyone had lost it. Defenders of a rapist. This is how all those who came to Prince Rhaegar's aid were known. There was no difference or shit. It spread quickly like wild fire and slowly but surely everyone had a bad opinion of the gentlemen.
Here in the domain that was especially bad. Heart of chivalry. That's how they were known. The defenders of what is right and more. And they came out as the ones who had allowed a girl to be kidnapped, raped and finally killed just due to the fact of how that damn Stark made the damn things known holy fuck cow.
Things were getting worse. Oh twos much worse for the high tower house. That damn Gerold. He always took certain things very seriously but the man had always thought that women were below men in more ways than one. When word spread of everything that man allowed to happen to Queen Rhaella, his house lost even more face.
The final blow for the house of the high tower was the expulsion of the northern maesters. The reason? They had been found guilty of espionage, theft of secrets and much more. He never thought that could blow up in their faces. Everyone needed the maesters. How could that happen, right? Well, look, the damn North goes and fucking exposes them.
There was no greater desire in Olenna's mind to kill that damned idiot Hariric Stark. Why? First point, she has revolutionized the North to the point that even if they added her resources, the Dominion and the lands of the West could not compete with her potential in economic advancement, which was extremely painful for her.
Second point he had created a powerful army that would be capable of opposing the force of the southern kingdoms. It didn't matter what she thought, what she wanted or anything else. That martial force would be able to walk up to them and crush her armies which was a huge pain in the damn ass.
But the last thing. He had reduced the strength of the dominion's navy. Now his family had to spend resources and time trying to recover the lost boats. And even if they achieved such a thing, the fact is that the North could destroy them again as if nothing had happened. It was a blow to the pride of his damn family.
So yes. Olenna was furious. Very, very angry. And as if that weren't enough the last few years had weighed on all of them. Slowly but surely many had lost fear of many houses in the domain and more and more attacks were taking place. Many people suffered. They had also lost the faith of their servants and workers in the process.
Why should they think of them appropriately huh? They had failed to fight an enemy they fucking outnumbered. Could it be even worse? No. It couldn't be worse if she had to say it. It couldn't be worse because she knew that everyone and her mother only saw the loss of the domain as a massive mistake on her part.
Mace had been crazy. The man was in a bad way since the North basically treated him as less than a common prisoner. Hell there were days he feared for his shadow thinking the Northerners would try to kill him for his involvement. She looked at him like an idiot thinking he was just shaking because he was a complete coward.
The situation in the Dominion couldn't be worse if she had to say so. The domain's situation was simply disastrous at best. And now more than ever she had to deal with every fucking problem that some assholes thought they could think they just had to let her know about. What a big shit storm.
There were those who wanted to get rid of Hariric Stark... the maesters were at the head of those who tried to talk more about dealing with the damn Stark no matter what else might happen. It was simply that they thought it was a threat that needed to be dealt with immediately.
Although she knew why they said that. The maesters were filled with anger at the fact that Stark had founded that Isengard university. The University of Isengard that basically competed in terms of inventions and much more that they discovered. Although the worst thing was that it was directed by a woman: Renala. No one knew about her but she was the director of Isengard and the noble in command of the city of ancient knowledge as they called that city.
The woman was essentially what the maesters did not want in any way. A woman who was essentially in command and with power over a territory. She was sending a bad message if she had to give her opinion and the maesters wanted to put an end to it immediately. In her mind that only made it even more fun since she fucked the fucking bastards.
Things weren't getting easy at all and Mace only made them much more complicated. At least he had been able to have his grandson placed under his guidance. Mace was so scared of the shit that he was being nothing short of an incompetent leader. He thanked the heavens for Allicent. The girl was clearly competent as she expected of a Hightower.
Speaking of those two, the door to the terrace opened and Allicent and her eldest son Willas entered. They both looked very serious which amused her a lot since the boy looked somewhat funny with that serious look. However Allicent looked less than complicated at this time which was a sign of trouble.
''and good? What pile of shitty dung has that damned, incompetent oaf of my son put us in now to make you look so fucking bad, Allicent?'' Yeah. Some would say that treating her son like that was wrong but damn if he hadn't earned it the hard way if she had to be honest.
''The domain lords keep sending letter after letter. They make demands. They make demands. All the same. Put the Starks in their place. It doesn't help that the damn Faith seems to think that we should wage a holy war and the teachers who speak ill of the university.'' Allicent had to admit that the level of stupidity in his kingdom was unprecedented.
''Ha that was to be expected. They have been hit squarely in the face and they don't like it so they think they can hit back. As for faith, they only hope to expand their influence and believe they could get away with it. As for the maesters, the idiots hate being made fools of. It was simple and straightforward. Easy to analyze in Olenna's opinion.
''Grandma, why are the gentlemen so obsessed with putting the Starks in their place? "They are no longer part of the seven kingdoms so we should focus our objectives on more things than the fact that we are facing them in some way." Willas couldn't understand his bannerman if they could be so fucking idiotic.
''The situation is far from ideal dear. They have been beaten. The North or as they like to call themselves Asgard have shown that numbers mean nothing against them. They took prisoners and used them for their victory. The south was brutally beaten by them. "People want revenge against them." And she felt like they were wasting their time.
''and they flood us with demands and demands because it was Mace my husband who led the men of the Dominion to such a colossal defeat. "They seem to think that we must somehow come up with an answer that should be satisfactory to them of all things." Allicent actually knew that they were typical Florent attempts to get their way in everything.
''the typical complaints of someone who is used to being at the top. They hope to get their way with complaints, lawsuits and much more. But hey, it's not our fault. It wasn't just Mace who was defeated. It was every southern commander. He talks about adding salt to the wound.' Olenna had to admit that she spoke well of all the commanders of Asgard and badly of her own.
''And grandma faith? Why are they just jumping into this matter? Why would they think that they have the right of all things to decide or do as we should resolve things?'' Willas couldn't say that he understood what was on the minds of the members of the faith. He honestly preferred to stay away from them because he didn't trust them at all.
''ah grandson that's very simple. First, according to the law of Aegon the conqueror, the faith could not try to expand in any way to the North. It was part of the agreements that were made between the northerners and the conquerors. And now they think they can do what they want.'' Olenna scoffed. The most idiotic idea she ever thought she would be hearing in her entire life.
''Besides that there is also the fact that Hariric Sttark is capable of magic. What if they have more magic practitioners huh? That would put faith in a bad place. Faith despises magic and will do whatever it takes to put an end to it as soon as possible.'' Allicent knew what he was talking about and had a very good idea of how badly he could end up.
''And that too. Members of the faith do not look favorably on magic and other religions. They are demanding and love more than anything to make demands above all else. They may think they will get their way. But I refuse to have anything to do with them in whatever they are up to.'' No. In no way would anything move her in favor of those idiots.
Willas couldn't understand. If it was a skill you were born with, it should be accepted by people. It was a gift given to you by the gods to use. But faith seemed to think that was not right. As if they thought that having magic was heresy to their so-called gods. Or possibly it was just fear of losing power.
''House Stark would not take such things silently. And seeing how successful they were in waging war, I can imagine that they would be more than capable of bringing their steel to the followers of the faith, right?'' Willas was no tactical genius but he was far from stupid. And a man who was capable of all this would obviously make their lives miserable.
''Honestly, honey, I think we should let faith throw more and more shit at them. It will make them focus on something other than causing us problems of some kind because we were defeated.'' Olenna liked that her grandson was so far from her idiotic and oaf of a son.
''That still leaves us maesters. "They are very much still focused on the fact that House Stark possesses magic and what's worse that the citadel has been literally left in the dust by the Northerners which is insulting in their minds." By God it was a constant on the part of the citadel.
''Those idiots should know better than to do their shit in a way that annoys us of all things. I will not deny that we should be interested in advancing the citadel. But if the North has managed to advance so much, why the hell is the citadel left in the fucking dust?'' She hated him. If House Baratheon was intelligent they would ask questions.
''I don't know. And honestly that worries me. The maesters seem to spend their money on things but if the world really hasn't advanced that much in recent times let me be the one to say that we could be in a complete shit storm.'' Allysane was not happy with this possibility since such mistakes would fall on them.
''Then it seems most logical to me that we simply send them a nice and beautiful message that either they get their act together or they could stop having access to as many coins as they do. "I'm sure the kingdom could do much better with that money spent on more things." It was Olenna's mentality that it was best to use her head with her money.
''Grandma, why not put pressure on us by inviting scholars from Asgard to see if they would be willing to work with us? I'm sure the lords of Asgard can't offer you that much, right?'' Willas decided to ask the question. Aim exactly where he knew he could do harm.
''It could be a good idea if it weren't for several reasons. If those men and women are half as intelligent they would know that their chances in the south are inferior to what it is like to have a chance at life like in Asgard. Olenna had thought the same thing. She had sent spies to test the waters. He didn't like the result.
''Not to say that learned women wouldn't be seen the same way here in the south. According to the faith of the seven and the masters, women would be inferior. There in Asgard they have the support of Lord Stark who protects them, cares for them and makes it possible for them to have a dignified life.'' It was another reason. In Asgard women simply had more options.
''Whether we like it or not, the kingdom of Asgard has an advantage for us. And they make us want it. Many. For three hundred years kingdoms have attacked and abused them. At the slightest opportunity we give them they will attack us again. "War is not a solution that interests us." In fact it would be the worst thing that could happen to them.
''not to mention Willas that we have already verified that the Hariric king has no problem with using more tactics in addition to the normal confrontation. This whole war has served one thing: fear. The gentlemen will think twice before trying to do anything against him. It was the most logical move in Lady Tyrell's mind.
''unless the person who decides the movement is a short-sighted fool incapable of thinking things through. Let us hope for the sake of the kingdoms that we do not give Asgard reasons to wage war on us. "I have doubts that we will move forward if that were to happen." Yeah. Olenna believed that a war between them could not be won.
''Why not make marriage alliances with Asgard then grandma? That is to say, if we can't reach them, we can try to do something with future generations." Willas was employing the logic he saw in the conquest movement employed by none other than the Andals.
''On paper it's a good idea. But Hariric Stark would have to be dead and we have to make sure his son isn't like him. If we try to make marriage alliances aimed at making the power there diminish it could be taken with an attack and could have unpleasant consequences.'' Olenna applauded the use of her grandson's brain.
''Wow...then why not have the marriages be in the south and that way we can try to use family kinship to take positions of power in Asgard?'' Willas only commented on what he believed was a plan that could be more or less successful. His grandmother grimaced.
''It is a good solution but it is not efficient. Trying to marry a woman from the North who lives by rules and benefits that would be denied to her in the South and whose children would basically be educated to go against everything she stands for...King Stark would be very strongly against it. it''. Hell, Olenna would bet he'd let her displeasure fall in a more than brutal way.
''Whether we like it or not, son, the kingdom of Asgard is untouchable for the moment. Maybe in the future they will have a weakness. "But as long as Hariric Stark is alive, breathing, and staying strong, the chances of anyone facing him are low at best." Allicent just hoped that wrath wouldn't be drawn to her kingdom.
Willas nodded in agreement with his grandmother and mother's words. On the other hand, he wondered...would it be possible to establish a friendly relationship with the kingdom of Asgard? Slowly a plan formed in the young man's mind and he explained it to both women. They both looked at him for a moment. They told him they would think about it. He hoped they would agree. It could mean the difference between being knocked down or being on top.
-Dorne. Sunspear-
-Mr.'s office-
Oberyn was floored. He knew it. Since that day. From the day he was sentenced. To know that her sister was in another kingdom but not be able to make contact with her in any way. Not knowing if her niece and his sister were safe. It was a hard blow for one who felt strongly attached to the family. And that's not counting the curse. Not feeling anything. feel like you lose everything. It was horrible
But that was not the worst. Oh no. The worst was a letter from Elia. In that letter Elia had told him how upset she was. She didn't even go to his face. Her sister told him how disappointed she was. Certainly her mother was known for her tactics. But her mother would never stab a person in the back. She would have done everything possible to remedy the situation in her favor.
Doran however acted stupidly. She decided that it was perfectly fine for her to keep Lyanna Stark kidnapped. He plans to use it as a bargaining chip. To subdue the North. And in return now they were the ones who were in a state very close to breaking. Never in his life did he think that these would be the consequences.
Doran was in worse shape than anyone could imagine. Having to work on keeping Dorne afloat was difficult. Certainly her wine sold well. But quickly where before his ally was content not to compete with them they were now crushing them mercilessly by doing more aggressive business.
And now that he knew that Hariric Stark knew how to apply magic, he explained how many other benefits they had were no longer within his reach. Things had gotten ugly. Her bannermen were furious and only the promise of once Arianne reached the age of majority becoming a lady kept them happy.
Although his own bannermen were furious with Asgard. Hariric Stark had mercilessly struck down his greatest knight: Ser Arthur. He had condemned the knight, his name? Spit out with hatred and contempt, the renown of the knights of the dawn? Fuck it. At least they had enough honor to return his sword.
Although he could still remember the words of the letter: ' we return the sword because we have honor.' The same cannot be said for the man who was there to see a young girl raped and ultimately die for the things her chosen midwife did to her. If this is the honor of the Dayne house, gods know what honor this house can have.' And the message spread everywhere.
It didn't matter what was tried. Whatever was needed. Nothing mattered. Hariric Stark destroyed the reputation of the noblest house of chivalry. And then he forced lords of Dorne to pay a ransom to save his family members. And there were no negotiations. It was either that or not having them back alive. The man certainly carried out his threats.
With it came pain. Suffering. The good news is that Dorne had been able to take control of the Stepstones although his spies informed him that it was for the kingdom of Asgard. The members of Asgard preferred these islands to be in the hands of Dorne than in the hands of pirates. Some young people like Gerold Dayne called him stupid, the military did not think the same.
By giving them the islands they would keep the pirates away from their coasts and their ships unless they came from the north. Pirates could no longer plan raids and be hired by free cities to harass their fleets. And they had to spend resources and manpower to keep the islands protected. A win or win.
Things could have been more fucking simple. Maintaining the alliance would have been the smartest thing now that she thought about it. What was Doran thinking that day? What did she have in mind? She didn't know. But what he did know is that now House Stark was at the top and they were only where they were because the Tullys had a bad time and the ironborn were idiots.
He was in his brother's office waiting for him. Since that day he was basically cursed he had only been to the capital of Dorne a handful of times. He left with Ellaria and her daughters. To travel. Trying to find a solution. He went first to what was Qarth. He thought that the witches could help him.
The first time a witch looked at him he told him it was impossible. The curse was there. The curse prevented her because she was bound to his being and his essence. And unless he got the caster to remove it he was beyond screwed...then they tried to catch him to study the curse. It was luck that he was able to escape. But after that he went to other cities with more people who talked about magic.
The comment was always the same. You are cursed and you are screwed. If you want to have the curse removed you will have to obtain the caster's approval. They called it a work of art and that the one who made it knew more about magic than most of them and that he could only see a solution by going to the city of shadows which he refused.
It might seem a little strange but after what Rhaegar did he distrusted anyone who associated themselves with the faith of the god of fire and shadows. He had witnessed how almost all the cities except Volantis and Ashai had turned their backs on that faith except those who thought that the power of the red god like Qohor could defend them from the power of Hariric.
Even Pentos still maintained his faith, although much more controlled by what he had heard. But going to the city of shadows was a big no in his mind. It had been those damned priests. They were the ones who had gotten them into this giant shit storm. And he wanted more than anything to avoid more blows if possible, damn the consequences.
The situation was more than bad but he was determined to persevere. The remaining years he had spent traveling. Raising his daughters and working many jobs. Realizing that he could not sell his service as a sword, he worked for the sea lord and braved mostly his work while he raised and educated his daughters and enjoyed his mistress.
But the gap was there. Where before he had her sister in her life forever, now there was that pain that wouldn't stop bleeding and hurting her. She pissed him off. Oh gods how many times he had planned Stark's death. To make him suffer. The number of times she thought about it. But he was always happy not to.
Some in Dorne would call him a coward. But Hariric Stark was not weak. Every punishment. Every action. Every reaction. It was controlled and calculated to the millimeter. Planned to be a decisive blow against anyone who dared to challenge him. And he knew that if he planned on killing him it would be much, much worse.
If he had been like any of those idiots who had planned to get their hands on his family he knew that Hariric would have done worse to his own daughters and his lover. The lords of the south did not know it. They didn't understand it. With that man everything had to do with double or even triple the pain they had planned to make him.
Damn he knew Rhaegar's fate. Sentenced to a thousand years of eternal torment by the hand of Stark. To live in a life of misery and death for a thousand years. That alone should tell you how far he would be able to take it. No. I did not want in any way to challenge that man if possible.
Oberyn wanted to scream, how? How the hell was all this damn shit possible? This was so fucking unprecedented that he didn't think it made the slightest bit of sense. The Kingdom of Asgard had matured and grown at an unsustainable speed. And its changes were unprecedented.
Like his brother he had heard of the battle of Rhaegar. He had heard from Lewyn Martell who was removed from the royal guard for having been working alongside Prince Rhaegar. More like threatened. Rhaegar let Lewyn know that if he did not obey something terrible could happen to Elia.
All the kingdoms knew it. He had served to further destroy the reputation of the Targaryen house and at the same time had served to show how dangerous the royal guards were. It goes without saying that from now on the royal guards were chosen according to certain rules.
Of the former guards who protected House Targaryen, only being a barristan remained and that was because although he was a man who lived according to their rules, he also complied with the knight's code. He was the only one who stood up to being Hightower so that Queen Rhaella would be treated with proper respect.
Lewyn had told them what he saw that day. Hariric Stark was not a man. Hell he doubted that he could be told in a few words that he was a simple and common practitioner of magic, could it be true? Could he have been touched by the ancient gods? And if so, why would these gods have chosen him of all things?
There were too many questions to ask. And she honestly was afraid to do them. She was afraid of attracting the wolf's attention. To attract the attention of a person who had made it clear that sacrificing entire populations was not an impediment for him. The lords of the river would never forget the actions of that man in their lives.
But before dealing with that man he had to deal with his brother. He had arrived before him and stayed calmly in the office. He looked down to see his daughters playing with Arianne. The girls were really enjoying the presence of the great princess of Dorne.
If the alliance had held he knew that now Arianne and possibly her daughters could be learning from Isengard. He had learned from the woman who ran the place: Renala. She was a powerful sorceress capable of wielding flames and illusions. And she was a great scholar. How many things could she have known exactly? Too many questions to ask.
''It is a unique event. Seeing my daughter really enjoying a bit of her childhood. She lovingly reminds me of the times when Elia was here with us.' Doran spoke from the door as she looked at her brother calmly. His brother's figure had completely changed with his presence and he could see it.
''because you have called me back to Dorne brother. Things in Bloodstone are being handled more than well in my absence and I don't think my presence here is appropriate given the last thing you made me do.'' Oberyn didn't even look at his brother, not happy to be in his presence.
''make the right decision for Dorne. He had all the pieces. The ideas. All. If he had known the true power of House Stark I would never have moved against them.' Doran knew that his brother did not forgive him for holding Stark's sister hostage, but he always thought it was a necessary evil.
''What you think was necessary was a nightmare. How many brave sons of Dorne were lost due to your actions brother? How many lives cut short just for supporting a damn madman in his plans just to have some power over House Stark huh?'' Oberyn knew it. It was all for the so-called big game.
''A ruler must be willing to get his hands dirty. He's not pretty. He's not nice. But it is what has to be done no matter what. I liked it or I didn't like it. The north had too much power, too many benefits. We had to get our hands on it somehow. He did what was best for our people.'' Doran wasn't going to apologize.
''What you call the best for our people ended with Stark annihilating several families. Kill thousands of men. Bringing several families to ruin. And I end up making our sister wherever she is. Tell me Doran, was it worth the amount we lost in the process?'' It was the only way to make her brother understand: the pain and the consequences.
''Stark had resources brother. Resources so extensive that we did not know what was possible. Only the new drinks already gave it a wide margin. Spices and silk? I basically cornered an entire market. And that's without counting the exotic food. We had to reduce it. And I thought the prince was the best option, just like that." For Doran it was simple and easy at the end of it all.
''brother enough. Don't waste my time here anymore. You made me boss for some reason. I hope it is to discuss something of value. Nothing and no one will unfortunately take away the title you have earned." Oberyn knew it. Doran the rapist's assistant. That's how he was known in the kingdoms. Nothing took it away from him.
And Doran spoke. Of the plans and ideas of him that she had in mind. Oberyn did not pay as much attention to him as before. A question that made Hariric ask himself was still there. Her brother could have rescued Elia, why didn't he?
Among the curse of the heartless. His sister practically disowned him. And finally his brother could be almost responsible for the death of his sister. Oberyn felt the will to live escape him.