hfdn4

return to the north

-West. The North. Royal Road. Year 263 AC-

If there was one thing Hariric liked about the North, it was that air of his. There was no better way to describe it really. The feeling was more than good in his opinion. Yet he had missed his land. He had used what was a magical construction method using the obelisks. He had used his conjured human creations to gather the stone. He had used black marble stone and then used what were both ancient Celtic and Norse runic markings and then placed a heart of blood at the top of the obelisks right in the heart of their tail end.

A heart of blood was a personal creation of his. Using human blood, in this case his own, and of course using a process using the appropriate elements, he had created a doubly terminated ruby. Placing it on the part he had begun to manipulate ambient magic to improve the weather. Once the North had the climate of Canada. Now he had the German, which was much better for his plans if he had to be frank because of how good it was, since with the instructions on the obelisks the weather was changing, but that was only the first stage. The climate does not matter if the soil is not capable of having what was the capacity of having life in it, being in this case the life of future food, for which reason it had done another job

In this case he had created other blood cores that this time he had placed with strong runic matrices at certain points throughout the North to filter the environmental magic of the North into the soil and thus enrich the soil. With this action, what he had done was fill the soil with nutrients, in this case with life, and in this way he meant in a few words that the North was capable of having food and, in Hariric's opinion, began the beginnings of a strong agriculture that would feed the North. This was mostly due to the fact that he knew that if he wanted a powerful North he had to be able to stay alive and that obviously meant being fed.

Honestly, Hariric knew perfectly well that if there was a reality that he could be sure of, it was that the work would be continuous. But he loved it. He loved the idea of ​​building. To turn the North into a super power capable of making the South swallow its words in a few words. In the time that he had been in the south, he had made several things clear, and that is that the south was an annoying kingdom at best. The whole set that was south was a nuisance. So much lack of unity. So much political game. It was a nuisance. And if he knew something about politicians, it's that they never stay calm with how things are since they always want more.

The opinion he had of the south was not good. Hariric had seen much in his life. As the father of a magus family he had witnessed the power plays. How wizards everywhere had tried anything. It's true. They were bound by an oath not to be able to do anything to him in the slightest but no one said they couldn't request a marriage of some kind or anything else. They were smart people. They knew how to play the game. And it was the same with the lords of the south and that although he knew that the lords of the North despised it, it was their greatest weakness and a point that placed them in a very problematic situation, especially if what happened was that he made the North evolve exactly as his plan was.

Any idiot would say to strengthen house Stark and just leave it at that however hariric knew better. By strengthening every house (loyal) to the Starks he was fully ensuring that the Stark family would be not only more powerful but would have more trusted allies. Hariric knew better than most that it was foolish to trust only one option and that was it. Only a completely blind man trusts himself to leave a single line of defense. But at the same time there was the problem that was serious and hard for the north in the lack of education of the northerners. His lack of confidence was one thing, but playing against the other southern lords required much more.

Fortunately for him he had a plan. Hariric would not deny that giving the lords an advantage would be good. But at the same time he wasn't. That was why he had thought that every development in which he had a plan for the North would cause him to have a share. And as well knew, the lords of the south would try to negotiate to get their way. He would bind the workers in magical contracts making it impossible for them to know the formation processes of each element and at the same time he would use it for his benefit rather than obviously make it so that when the southerners want to make a negotiation of some kind they have to go through it of course. which was the most logical thing to do and at the same time the most just action

At that moment he thought about how he had gotten out of Oldtown. Honestly, the only thing he liked about leaving there were all the objects he brought with him. For the northern plantations that would be a real benefit of course. After all he had used up his time there. He had used his time to practically draw money in large amounts (as well as use the transmutation ability to make gold of course) and now he intended to make his plans for a more prosperous and advanced North possible of course although Hariric knew full well that the he already had a solid enemy in the south who surely despised him for having humiliated him and his family

-Retrospective scene-

If there was a possible description for Leyton Hightower it was that of an older man with a rather imposing presence. At forty years old, the man looked strong and powerful with a clearly well-groomed appearance. However, there was real intelligence behind the eyes of the so-called defender of Oldtown. The man wasn't happy because one of his knights had been considerably foolish enough to attack the heir to House Stark. He didn't exactly care that House Stark was attacked. The problem is that there were too many witnesses and word of the hospitality of his house to the lords of other lands was already spreading, which was not good since as a lord he knew perfectly well that a large part of his fortune obviously came from being pleasant and darling

''Greetings young Stark. To begin with I would like to let you know that it was never the intention of the knights of this house to degrade themselves to the point of attacking the lord of a house. In other words, he is so offensive. My knight should have known a lot better if I have to be honest. Leyton hated having to do this. His respect for House Stark was non-existent at best and as if that wasn't enough he had to speak to the boy as if he were his superior. He was obnoxious at best but it was also something that gave her a bad feeling. He hated having to talk to a person so inferior to him as if he were on his level.

''A gentleman's actions speak volumes about the house of Lord Leyton. Although I will not deny that the gentlemen of your house perhaps do not deserve such bad treatment in any way, I honestly still wonder how I can be in any way convinced that these same gentlemen know that what they were doing was bad``. Hariric could feel Leyton's anger building. The man was like everyone in the south. He looked at the North with contempt and what is more important he knew perfectly well that the North was not a big deal for which he felt justified. That they tell him that one of his gentlemen had screwed up so big, he was not amused

´´However you can agree with me that the action of the gentleman of the house was not exactly what one should reproach. It was just a father who was defending his son from being attacked. Something I have to say was really wrong on his part, did he seriously have to break the young man's knee in such a way? Leyton looked at the boy. The boy was not afraid of him. In the least. Almost as if he thought he was insignificant or as if he wasn't a threat of any kind, perhaps the boy thought that his position as future Lord Stark protected him? What an idiot the boy was if he thought in such a way. Wealth and power is what gave security

''Where I'm from when a person is a threat you treat them as such. That idiot brat launched an attack with a training sword, was it a blunted sword? Yeah. But a blunt sword if it hits somewhere wrong can break bones don't you agree with me lord leyton? Because you would think that as a lord of the south he would know everything you need. Hariric relished the look of anger that landed for a moment as he insulted Lord Hightower's intelligence. Obviously he wasn't happy that his intelligence was attacked in such a way but it wasn't his fault in the slightest that he left himself open to said attack in any way.

´´I am perfectly aware of the damage that a blunted weapon can do even if it is true that it lacks what makes it a deadly weapon. However and despite this I think it was a complete exaggeration what Lord Stark did. I mean, he just turned the kid possibly into a cripple just for attacking him for some stupid reason. Leyton was trying to make the boy feel bad. That he pay for what was obviously the recovery of his knight's son. Would be the best. But the boy only gave him a cold look. A look that anyone could tell was the look of a person who is not in the least affected by his presence or threatened by him. As if he thought that what he was saying was complete idiocy to him.

''I don't think I overstepped myself in any way. The way I see it, the son of his knight attacked me of all things just because he wanted to make an attempt to make himself look good in front of his father and other knights. If this is the attitude of the southern knights, I'm afraid then I don't understand in any way how they can defend what the southern cavalry is. Hariric relished the even greater look of anger in the southern lord's eyes. An affront to his pride as a knight was something the man could not and would not tolerate in any of Hell's possibilities because it meant that the title so many fought for was insignificant at best.

''I would kindly ask Lord Stark to reconsider your words very carefully. They are more than a little offensive words. We in the South are very supportive of the knighthood. A title given to the greatest men to fulfill what is obviously power and strength and to enforce the will of the lords of the south``. Leyton was beginning to hate the boy. He dared to speak to him in such a way? He dared to tell her how his house and his way of being had screwed up so big? He couldn't bear it at the best of times since it was a very serious offense to him. But he got much worse since he knew that this was only touching a wound.

''I have considered them very seriously, Lord Hightower. Forgive me for saying it this way but as far as I know and as far as I have been educated it is quite obvious and easy to say that when a person is attacked one must defend them. That is the title of knight. From what I understand, although if possible, could you refresh me on what are the oaths a gentleman takes?``. Hariric almost enjoyed the look of the southern lord even more that he was obviously making a fool of himself and in a bad way. He knew that the man would later seek revenge but this was good enough in his personal opinion of course since he was really hurting her a lot if he had to be blunt.

''A knight is a defender of the weak. A gentleman is a defender of the faith. A knight is a person of high honor and word. I don't see why I should respond to such things. It is knowledge beyond common if I may say so forgive me young Stark for questioning me exactly what could be the reason why you are wanting to bring the matter to light``. Leyton tried to sound respectful but at the same time he was mocking. One of his daughters even laughed. However he soon realized what was happening and growled. The boy had deceived him to make it clear that his knight was not fulfilling such a duty and therefore the fact was that the Higtower house was not fulfilling it as it should be either.

''I'm glad to know the values ​​of chivalry. Chivalry has always been a topic of interest. What better men than those who defend the values ​​of his lordship? However, they must defend the weak. Tell me my lord, what is weaker than a child who is being attacked by several young people? Because that's what his knight should have stood up for and not let it happen. Hariric almost laughed at how amused it was to see the annoyance in the older man's eyes as he realized that he had somehow really screwed himself up. This was more than obvious and that was an understatement of course.

´´I am sure young Stark that you yourself can say that this is definitely not what happened. That is to say, why would the son of a knight of the Hightower house attack a child who is defenseless? It is highly unlikely that this was the case and you can say for yourself that it is true``. Leyton tried to look hard at the young Stark trying to look as tough as possible but the young Lord Stark was clearly not bothered. How? Because? Those were questions. But it seemed that the saying that the Starks were harder than steel and colder than ice was true. That was something he could say he completely envied.

That would be the best question to ask though unless you bring the idiot brat right here to be immediately questioned as to why he thought it was perfectly fine of him to attack a kid who was just getting the best of him. that he could give the money to his family, I'm sorry to say it, but my belief that he is innocent is null. Hariric could see that Leyton was not happy at this moment. He had clearly thought that he could get out of here without any really serious trouble. Silly of him but at the same time he showed that he was overconfident if he had to say so though he couldn't blame him. Hightower House was very wealthy after all and he felt empowered to do what he wanted.

´´I am more than sure that it will be an answer that will be welcomed young Stark. But all the same, I think you must pay yourself for assaulting a gentleman's son. Honestly, such a performance reflects badly on the education he has received``. Leyton was about to put a smile on his face thinking that he had thrown a good punch when he looked at the cold gaze of pure ice in those greenish gray eyes and was terrified by what he was seeing. There weren't many ways to describe what he was seeing at the moment. It was too bad for him to just be a kid giving him this scary look if he had to say so.

''I would kindly like you to remind Lord Leyton that you are insulting a house that is known throughout the seven kingdoms to be a house that holds honor and valor at its highest. My father would possibly agree with me that hitting a damn spoiled brat so seriously would be a justified action seeing as he was about to assault a young man who couldn't defend himself. Hariric was now more upset. It is true that House Stark valued valor and honor but if this man thought he could play with him he was going to learn that he had no problem casting him aside without a doubt for hitting a person where it would hurt the most.

´´My apologies young Stark it was never my intention to insult your house in any way I was just making you see that you were possibly making a mistake with your actions anyway. a cripple to a young son of a knight?``. Leyton growled knowing that this was not going the way he had thought it would. He had thought this discussion would be easier but the Stark boy was obviously much smarter than he had given him credit for. He was not only smart and cunning but on top of that he was incredibly good at hitting where it hurt the most and where he knew it would really upset a person the most.

''Yet Lord Leyton did. He insulted the Stark family by affirming his words. By stating that my education was inefficient, do you know why I came to Oldtown? It was not to enjoy the smell of the city. It was not to see how people spend without thinking about their actions. It was so I could study and learn from the citadel to help my people``. Hariric unwittingly moved his hands sending out a wave of magic that would make no one discuss his reasons for being here since he was smart enough to know that he would be in a few words seeing a lot of people interested in what he was doing. here. He knew that he would not be eternal but it would give him a surprise attitude time.

´´It is a commendable action if I have to say so. The number of people who are actually so interested in studying to help their people is small. Let me say that I am more than impressed by your actions young Stark``. Leyton growled internally. This put a negative point. The young Stark was basically saying that he wasn't here to enjoy or play but to learn and that meant yes. That he had been educated extensively to be better and more prepared than all the other lords of the south did with his children by settling for the education of a simple master. He had to admit that the young Stark was possibly more intelligent than many young lords were and that could be said to be due to the education of interested parents.

´´Thank you for saying that it is an important action on my part but there is more to say. Lord Leyton I came here to learn. Not to play. Not to use my time on other things. Learning is what I was looking for. Imagine my impression of this place when a knight's son is abusing his position to attack a child who, do you know why he was there? He was there to support his sister and how many can you say would do the same as him?``. Hariric saw that he had the lord of the lighthouse completely in a bad position. He knew that he had no defense against his words in the slightest.

''The truth is that I don't see any. No offense but I don't see many people capable of doing such a thing. I suppose then that I must punish the young boy. It's a pity anyway``. Leyton growled. She hated him but he had lost. Here he was about to try to get something out of a young boy who was easy enough to tell was a boy who had his interest in getting things for a worthless young boy. But here he was completely wrong. The boy was not only not upset that he had called him but on top of that there was the point that the boy was more than ready to do whatever it took to get him out of this power play.

I'm sure. Yet at the same time I am a believer that there is no need for punishment anymore. The offending child has been punished. He will never be a gentleman. He will never be little more than a cripple. If he's lucky he might end up master of all things but he'll never be what he wanted to be. That's punishment enough IMHO, don't you agree?``. Hariric smiled as he took everyone in the room completely by surprise. In this case, most people would have tried by all means to make or at least try to make the child and his father pay even more for what had happened. It's not that he was compassionate, it's that he believed in just and adequate punishment, full stop.

´´That is actually a completely different way of looking at things than what young Stark would have expected. He almost would have expected you to have demanded more. A payment for the fact of the boy's attack or a form of compensation for the attack on your person courtesy of the knight. Are you sure it is a wise decision to do such a thing young Stark?``. Leyton for the life of him couldn't understand what was happening. Why didn't the Stark boy seem to have a problem of any kind with what was happening? He didn't make sense in his personal opinion since where he came from everyone he tried to exploit things in the luckiest way possible.

´´Perhaps for you and any lord of the south it is something like that. I know you must be thinking, why isn't this exploiting it like any gentleman from the south? The answer to this, if I have to be frank, is that I don't see the point in it. What do I have to gain from it? I got what I wanted. The boy will never be a knight. You can't punish me. And a father has to know that his failed education is what has led his son to such a path. I can't say it better``. Hariric shrugged, deciding the meeting had been long enough and leaving everyone already. But not before making sure that no one tried anything from behind.

Hariric knew better than anyone that these people would not be happy with him. Hariric knew better than anyone that these people would not forgive or forget in the slightest. He had humiliated them in the worst of ways by making them realize they weren't as much above him as they wanted to believe. He knew they wouldn't take it well. But inside Hariric smiled. He knew that in time Hoghtower House would try something. He had already made it clear. However, when that time came, he would ensure by all means that the house in question paid in blood. They believed they had a measure of him. Little did they know that it was just a picture, period. As a wise teacher once told you: theatrics and deceit are powerful weapons.

-Present time-

Hariric knew that Leyton would not forgive in the least what he considered a grave offense to the Hightower family. The man was spiteful and had seriously rebuilt the family after Cregan Stark's actions which was a compelling reason why he had a deep hatred for the Stark family. The Hightower family had only begun to definitively recover from the damage to its structure after his rise, since the man had taken a page from the book of free cities and instead of seeking to solve everything with a fight, he preferred a good business since businesses they're hardly a threat if you're smart

Leyton had built a lot more with his intention to create a powerful force of power and had built the power of Oldtown where he was definitely the absolute lord. Previously all the lords of Oldtown lived in a tense relationship with the lore lords also called maesters or the gray rats as hariric actually preferred to call them. Leyton had gone further since he had completely assumed the power of said place, taking complete control of the city and in this case it was the maesters and not the other way around who responded to Leyton. Such was the power and influence of the man in the city so obviously his treatment of him would have seriously offended him actually as he would not like to be treated in such a manner by a child.

Fortunately for the Leyton he had more to worry about. The current king of the seven kingdoms was nothing more and nothing less than Aerys Targaryen since he was against all odds or at least it seemed so. Hariric felt that one could not be trusted since the one who dictated death were the teachers. The king passed away from a mysterious illness which meant two things. The first one is that he could have died as a result of some problem due to the constant incest of the Targaryen family or the other option is that a maester has killed him of all things because he was a threat to whatever they were looking for.

If there was one thing Hariric had learned the hard way, it's that it's better to never take things for granted and that the best way to resolve things was always to know more about what was going on. Hariric had no information as House Stark basically lacked a spy network. Although he had an idea of ​​how to solve that easily since if what he knew was true the inhabitants of the neck kept a lot of magic and that would be excellent for him in his plans. Skinchanger magic was too useful if he had to say so so he obviously was going to exploit it as much as possible especially for the benefits it could bring to his person.

This brought back the second memory of how he left Oldtown. The truth is that he had gone there to see if he could do business or look for ways to make obvious profits. He had managed to get hold of vast amounts of resources that would benefit the North immensely. Not only because House Stark would start making use of greenhouses but also because he knew that the best way to make his family rich was to take away the necessary dependencies of southern food since the southerners had been exploiting this in the worst possible way. of the ways Although he honestly felt that it was more than anything too easy for someone with knowledge of him to do of course.

It hadn't been difficult at all to get what he was looking for especially when he made some money. Using transmutation, he created enough gold to pay for some merchants to travel to different parts and that was how he placed in their hands the future crops that would come in handy in the North. Hariric honestly knew that if the maesters had known of his intentions they would have killed him but luckily compulsion magic and the arts of illusions were too useful for people to even figure out what he was doing if it had to be. Frank. People could be stupid but at least he could tell that the stupidity they had was being used for their benefit. In other words, it is known that faceless men move with illusions and have not yet found any way to stop them.

In any case, the surprising thing is that he had obtained a large quantity of vegetables, fruits and other elements that could be used to increase what was the food production of the North. And luckily he had the allies to be able to exploit it properly. After all, the Dustins and the Umbers had the best land for it. Although the Stark house would not need its resources, the other houses would need them, which meant in a few words that the Stark house would see the Dustin and Umber grow in power, who were two of the most loyal houses to the Stark house, although well That was not all, since I knew that there was more to do.

Still, he could still remember the look on Archmaester Walgrave's face. The man had been designated as the one in charge of educating him. Hariric had almost laughed because it was quite obvious that the man was the order's spymaster since he was quietly in charge of keeping information from the seven kingdoms in check. He had almost laughed when the man confronted him asking him why he was leaving if he really still had a lot to learn. The man had thought that he could get away with ordering her and he still remembered it as he had been furious with her way of ignoring the maesters order as if it wasn't that important in any way.

-Retrospective scene-

Walgrave could be described as an unconventional teacher. He was a fit looking man and what is remarkable about the man is that he shaved his head and grew a beard. He was a stranger but he was even stranger as he had arrived at the citadel. It was little known that Walgrave was the bastard son of the former lord of the position he now held. He had been placed there for the simple fact that he had complete loyalty to the citadel. His last mission had been to keep an eye on the Stark heir who in Wally's words was a complete threat and he could agree. The way he moved, spoke and looked could tell that the boy was many things. idiot was not

´´Forgive me, young Stark, but it seems to me that I don't understand. What do you mean by saying that you are leaving? I would have thought you wanted to learn. Maester Wallys wrote to us that he had thought of coming here to learn from us. Yet he leaves so soon that I doubt he has had any time to learn anything. Walgrave looked at the boy as if he couldn't believe it. Did he really have the nerve to come here and waste his time? The citadel had more to do and get than wasting its time for the mere fact that a child of all things had wanted to be here. The boy had insulted the citadel in his opinion and deserved punishment for it but he couldn't touch it at least not in the city.

´´You see I have grown quite tired. It's always the same with you teachers. I ask to learn. I ask to be polite but it's always the same with you telling me that you want to teach me things too slowly. As heir to the North I must be busy doing more than just spending my time here. The citadel has more than fulfilled what I expected of them so obviously I don't need more of them``. Hariric had to suppress a grin from ear to ear at the look of indignation from the man before him as it was crystal clear that he thought he was humiliating them somehow or other. It was always fun to play with people.

''You almost make it sound like you think we maesters aren't teaching you properly. Young Hariric I think you must understand that learning is a lifelong journey and that it will require dedication. Hours and much more. I'm sorry to say this honestly but right now you're wasting your time if you think it's just a quick thing to learn``. Walgrave was sure that would be enough to upset the boy. A small insult is true but it would have to be enough to make the child understand that he had better stop being stupid. However, the boy just looked at him with slight confusion at that very moment as if he didn't think anything of him about it.

´´It is that you are not doing it. Let's see I'm interested in some points. Healing for example Why? How is it? How is it obtained? What effects can be expected? What are the main conditions for efficient healing? I've been trying to learn everything I could but it's always the same. Go somewhere. Study this. Study that. All about healing stories but never getting to the topic I'm interested in. Do you really think I have a healthy interest in knowing who?``. Hariric could see the anger appear in the maester's eyes, obviously not very happy to have someone tell him how things should be done in his trade but hey it was his fault. History in history class. The real learning was the important thing

"Surely you can't expect us to give you a chance to work in medicine right away, can you kid?" You need to learn first and the great masters of antiquity were the ones who discovered exactly many of the techniques and medical elements that we use today. You should consider yourself lucky to learn so much from them as they are the ones that keep people alive``. The archmaster of the crows was beginning to get angry with the boy. Did the boy really think that they would just accept his things like that? What would the secrets of medicine and anything else teach him just because he was here? Absurd in your opinion

´´I would sincerely hope that since I have come here to learn about all things that people would be at least a little more sensible about it and would understand that to learn I need more than studying the past. Furthermore, those who are obsessed with the past mostly end up deceived and badly. The past is just a tool to learn a valuable lesson not to be wrong about it``. Hariric could see pure anger flash once more in the maester's eyes. Obviously being told that what they were doing was a waste of time of some kind didn't sit well with him. Not that he cared much what he thought about it since to him he was just another idiot to deal with.

''You can't expect in any way, young lady, that we teach you everything that is clearly here in this citadel. There are hundreds of secrets to learn, I won't deny it, but at the same time it's a complicated task just thinking about learning most of them. And you can't expect the citadel to teach exactly everything we can get our hands on to a child. The Raven Lord looked at the boy with a look of disbelief for the boy believing of all things that he had any right to somehow learn the things of the citadel. The boy's sheer audacity was pissing him off just thinking that he could do it and learn the secrets of the citadel.

''I came here to learn. To learn and help improve the lives of people in the North. I am well aware that there are many ways to help the people of the North, and I am damned if I will in any way leave the possibility of that not happening. I will not tolerate in the least the opportunity to learn but clearly you teachers do not want me to learn anything``. Hariric was seeing clearly into the man's mind. He had received orders to watch him and in case of being a possible threat to eliminate him. It was quite obvious that he saw him as a serious threat and the mere fact that he dared to speak to him the way he was was making him feel entitled to decide his life.

''I don't think you understand young Stark what you're asking for. You are asking that the citadel, which is the greatest center of knowledge in Westeros, dedicate itself to teaching you as if we were your vassals. If you really wanted to learn in such a way, you should have asked your master to teach you about these things, however I can say that you did not do it that way in any way``. The lord of the ravens made a decision. Hariric Stark could not live. He was a wild card that could not be trusted in the slightest and was a complete threat to what was the stability of the kingdom. He was a young man who thought that the maesters were not doing everything they could to help the kingdom. If the word got out it would be disastrous

´´What I am asking is that the citadel take charge of educating me in the fields requested by me, not by the fact that I demand it. In fact I came politely to request to learn citadel knowledge to help my people. In these years that have passed, they have never taught me more than just the history of what the requested arts were. How can you call that education if it is really so low?``. Hariric knew that his act was convincing as the Archmaester was starting to grow annoyed with him. All of that was good in his opinion because it meant that he would make a stupid decision when the time came for it which was all he thought about it and that it would be very good for the future.

´´Young Stark let me clarify some things that you don´t seem to understand and I think it would be a good thing if you understood more than anything for the benefit that it is for all. When you came here requesting to learn, you have to understand that it must be at everyone's pace. You cannot expect preferential treatment of any kind. Everyone learns at the same pace``. The master was lying. They weren't interested in teaching him a cultured Stark? They already had problems with Rickard Stark the massive wolf of the North who was said to be brilliant and intelligent along with his wife. They were threats and this boy seemed to be just as dangerous a threat if he had to say so himself.

´´Although I will in no way expect people to give me the things served on a platter, I would have liked to be put to the test to demonstrate that my knowledge of the subjects is more than adequate. Instead I've been treated like I didn't learn anything. As if my knowledge is the lowest of lows so excuse me if I say this but as you can see I don't have a reason to stay``. Hariric looked at the maester with a cold gaze that would have done winter itself proud. The ravenlord was obviously not happy to be treated in such a manner but Hariric cared little what the man actually felt as he felt he was just stalling for time.

´´If you leave young Stark I think you should know better than anything that the citadel will have no reason to serve you in any way. There is no reason for it in the slightest and at the same time you will have shown us to be nothing more than a child who is incapable of truly understanding what it means to be an adult``. The lord of the ravens looked at the boy trying to scare him. However, the boy gave him a look that made it clear that he couldn't stop him and at the same time as if he didn't care about not being able to go to the citadel anymore. This was somewhat unexpected but not as bad as he would have liked it to be. He even he could deal with the child

It is not a problem. I came and it was clear to me that the citadel had no interest in helping me. The only thing they were interested in, neither more nor less, is praising themselves as how incredible they are and that nothing and nobody could ever measure up to them. Frankly, if there's one thing I feel about all of this, it's that the citadel is full of people with egos the size of mountains. Hariric chuckled in amusement as he saw the clear, no longer hidden anger on the maester's face. He moved to hit him but he stayed put. The story that a master beat a lord's son would not really sell well at all and in fact would be more than bad

´´Then go and never appear again in this place of knowledge child``. With his words said the lord of the crows left. He had to inform a certain group of people. Unbeknownst to him, his raven would be intercepted by a certain white bird that wanted nothing more than to destroy everything that got in the way of his best friend. The maester's look when he realized that his failed plan would have been invaluable actually hurt no one else to see. Anyway, the maester quickly went back to his business without noticing more hidden plans in the mind of Hariric Stark who was clearly satisfied.

Hariric felt nothing when he said that he had no intention of coming back here in any way. Honestly the citadel was very smoky but nothing impressive. In truth he was not surprised that the advance of this world had stopped. The maesters knew that as long as they were in control of knowledge they would be at the pinnacle of power so naturally they felt they were doing the right thing for their order. They never thought in their minds that they might be getting a more serious problem to attend to in the form of a hariric Stark who was interested in advancing the entire world for his own benefit of course since he would only advance the North. The south had had every chance

As he looked into the maester's mind, he knew that the situation for his house was much worse than he could have imagined in any way. For starters, every maester in the North had orders to wipe out the ruling families should they become a threat to the citadel's plans. He didn't like that in the least and he felt that it was a problem that was not worth leaving aside for even a minute. While there were houses that he would leave the maesters alive, the house masters loyal to the Starks would be attended to immediately to ensure that the threat to their house was dealt with efficiently and completely. He wouldn't leave such a sure peril alive

One thing that upset Hariric was the plan to colonize the north. The masters had been planning a weakened North since the conquest to start a population of southerners there who would take control and completely eliminate the blood of the first men because it was very magical blood. Hariric felt a strong amount of anger at the mere fact of such a dare against his family and wanted nothing more than to kill them all for such an action but luckily it calmed his power immediately as he knew doing such a thing would not be serious. the best. Instead he would attack them where he could honestly do damage at least that was the opinion he had.

The citadel had declared war on the Stark family. The citadel had declared war on the North. Well they wanted a war then I would give them the war they wanted so much. It would give them a reason to be afraid of the Norteños. It would give them a compelling reason to feel that it was better to be careful with the houses of the north. And for this he would make the North the most important part of the kingdom. I knew how to do it. It was time to go home and start what was the beginning of the reconstruction of the north to turn it into the power that knew... although before that I wanted to know everything that the citadel knew

-Present time-

Hariric had practically sacked the citadel. But not the library of knowledge used by the maesters that contained all the common knowledge. That could top it in a thousand ways. No. Hariric had used a little known spell called Stella Vigilanti which was basically to create a sphere of energy that carried consciousness or at least a portion of consciousness that could be used to explore. The spell basically looked at the entire citadel and discovered a secret, hidden section with what was basically a lock of sixteen keys representing each of the Archmaesters' fields. Hariric, being intelligent enough as he was, knew immediately that there was more here than it seemed, so once night came and under the cover of darkness and illusions he reached the door.

That was how he discovered the vault. The vault contained the knowledge collected by the order since its founding in many ways. Books from different houses that they had decided to acquire for their personal benefit. enchanted jewels. Valyrian steel weapons. Of everything. And that included ten perfectly good dragon eggs and one white egg that up until that moment seemed strange to him but which he took along with everything else in there because he felt that if that were common knowledge it would have been more than useful in the hands of many more people. that only the hands of the masters did have to say it himself of course so using a trunk specially designed by him he took every last thing

In total, ten Valyrian steel swords were made, which was clever. However, it was also a book of Valyrian magic that the masters supposedly found impossible to translate and had not destroyed out of sentimentality. When Hariric saw it he was surprised as the book in question had a compulsion charm that basically made no one want to destroy it. When he opened it he discovered that the reason it couldn't be read is because it basically had an illusion on it. Surprised by this, he decided to break the illusion and discovered the secrets of the Valyrian families in many ways from using Dragonstone to hatching dragon eggs and making Valyrian steel.

Of the other books were books on the water magic of the Rhoynar. There were books on the magic of the first men. There were poison books created by many families. Magical runework of the First Men and the Rhoynar. There were many secrets here and Hariric grew increasingly disgusted to see that the maesters were nothing more than common thieves in his personal opinion. People who did not deserve respect, however, if there was a book that he found of interest, it was a book about the so-called ice specters or also known as the white walkers or the others. What he read was interesting since he took himself out of a Stark's journals and it was something of a warning.

The more knowledge Hariric saw, the more he realized that the maesters were an organization that would be more of a threat in the future than a good ally or competitor. He would have to deal with them when the time came for that, he didn't have the slightest doubt about it but he was patient. Patience was simply something he was very used to dealing with. Because launching here would be fine. Although he had heard that the current king was an erratic man. Letting him know about the dragons or at least the eggs would mean that the man would immediately want the order dead but at the same time it would mean losing the dragon eggs and he would rather not see the threat that the Targaryens were.

It was at that very moment that a movement caught his attention. The movement was not in front but in his body or rather attached to it. Hariric smiled as he saw a snow white head with blue eyes appear with a set of black horns protruding from the head and a blue jewel on its forehead. He imagines his surprise when he discovered a horned serpent's egg. He was more than surprised. Even more for the color. The color was strange but still it didn't stop her from loving the little creature that Hariric could call in many ways a familiar. And that Hedwig even wholeheartedly approved and for her first relative to accept her was strange because she was so possessive of hers in many ways.

The snake had hatched a few days after leaving Oldtown. Unknowingly she had been feeding her magic to her which had brought her back from the frozen state she was in. And here she was in all the glory of her as beautiful and perfect as if she were a beauty from another world if he had to say so himself. Hariric smiled at the beauty of said creature and had no more words to give than how majestic it was. And just like Hedwig, he was incredibly intelligent, easily understanding his language as well as speaking Parseltongue with him of course. Such were the advantages of the little creature obviously endowed with the magic of his person.

''You should sleep princess. You need to rest as much as possible. Soon we will be arriving at your new home where you will be able to run so free although first we have to make sure that you grow as strong and powerful as we both know you can become my dear girl``. Hariric looked at Ophis with care and love. To him she was magical. Just at that point he detected Hedwig's presence and saw her fly at considerable speed surprising her guards, Dareon and her sister before she landed on her shoulder clearly pleased with things as they were. as they were at that time. Needless to say, she could understand her happiness. The flight of her in the south of her was very low unfortunately

´´This place feels so alive. So full of magic. Your magic. It's like you're bringing a lot of your own energy to this place. It feels so unbelievably warm and it's like it's possibly one of the nicest things I've ever felt…I really like it and I didn't want to fall asleep``. Ophis spoke quietly as she let out what she thought of the Northern environment. He was simply too unique. How had her father figure been able to fill the whole place with magic? It was just so amazing. She felt like being embraced at all times by her father and it was a more than magnificent emotion if she had to say it and at the same time it was such a quality sensation that she felt that she could feel full at all times.

´´hahahaha our dear Harry here is a really powerful sorcerer if I have to say. I don't think he has many words to describe his abilities other than unique. There aren't many humans capable of magic that you have seen dear Ophis. Stay close to him for a long time and what you will feel now is only a small amount of who he is. Hedwig felt amused though well she could understand why the little girl felt that way. From a young age Hariric's magic felt incredibly powerful but even to this day she had no better way to describe her magic as a massive force that nurtured her and her familiar mate if she had to say so.

''I don't think it's necessary to say so many good things about my Hed, I don't know if I fully deserve them. Anyway Ophis we are about to reach the castle where I live. There I will get you a place for yourself that you can make your own domain in the same way that the heavens are basically a possession of my dear Hedwig``. Hariric could tell that both of his relatives were happy at that moment. He couldn't blame them in the least, how else could he really describe that they basically had so much land to live on? Hed felt that she had heaven and Ophis with the mere idea of ​​having a large expanse of land felt good about herself feeling that the place would possibly be more than she could imagine.

''I don't want to get away from you. Not right now. Your magic feeds me and although I will not deny that I would like to have a place to call home and everything, I do not want to separate myself from you in the least. You are my father I must stay with my father``. Ophis wouldn't deny in the slightest that the idea of ​​having a place to call home felt more than good. After all, a place where you could say you could hunt all you wanted felt more than good. But he didn't want to get away from his father in the slightest. He felt that the moment he lost sight of him, something very bad could happen to him.

´´She has already seen you. Even in this world you can't help but get into trouble. So it is more than understandable that she wants to stay as close to you. She is easily able to see that you can be more than troublesome in reality. Anyway Ophis I don't think you have to worry so much about Harry. He is very powerful``. Hedwig could already tell that she liked her sister. She was much more sensible than most idiots and she felt that she was possibly capable of realizing the threats that were around him. Was that a special power of hers? Or perhaps it was due to Hariric's magic that she had inherited some of her small gifts like seeing threats against her person?

''First of all, Hedwig, you don't need to remind me that I am possibly one of the most troublesome people of all. I'm perfectly aware that getting into trouble is like a gift to me so you don't have to remind me. Ophis, my white princess, you should not worry because I am more than capable of taking care of myself. I'm more concerned about you and your sister. Hariric couldn't believe that he was having a discussion with his relatives and they were discussing his unique ability to get into trouble although of course he should have seen it coming for sure as it was clear that the two of them wanted him protected above all else and make sure no one could get to him in any way

´´Sister Hedwig has already made it clear that you will get into trouble. You can be as powerful as you want to be but in the end getting into trouble means you are in danger. I have no intention of letting you get into trouble of any kind. My duty is to protect you``. Ophis would not let him get hurt in any way. She wouldn't let his father get hurt while taking care of him in any way. But at the same time she could see her father giving her a loving smile and began to massage her and make her feel her magic which made her happier and at the same time Hedwig felt more alive than ever with the touch of her magic.

''In Harry's defense, my dear, our human is quite possibly one of the most dangerous existences in this world. If you saw what my dear sister is capable of with his magic. Now that would be quite a sight to behold. I still remember when he made it clear that he was the one at the top of the food chain. Hedwig smiled fondly at her pack sister. She could understand and even understand why she was so worried about everything. Because she felt nervous about the human of hers. He was her father. He was her love made flesh of her. It was natural that through the family bond she could feel and see threats and therefore she wanted to avoid being in the middle of threats.

''Enough Hed she's just worried. Ophis, I'm not going to deny that I'm getting into trouble very easily and heck, I'm not going to deny that I'm something of a magnet for trouble, neither more nor less. But the harsh reality is that as a person I cannot sit still and do nothing. It is not my style my dear girl``. Hariric smiled kindly at the beautiful snake. It had been a long time since he had to be so communicative. Hedwig was very agile. She made it clear to him that if she got into trouble she was going to pay for it the old-fashioned way. Needless to say, she was a very useful threat in Hedwig's hands of course so she naturally didn't want to get into her first familiar's bad day.

´´However, I will not let anything bad happen. Dad must be protected. I am snake. I have poison. My poison is still not as strong in any way as anything in this life but one day my poison will be so strong that people will beg for mercy for me not attacking them``. Ophis stood up proud of how powerful she would be one day. Between her father's magic seeping into her and possibly her own magic as well, she had no doubts that she would be able to do a lot of damage to anyone who was a threat to her father as it should be done in her mind at least. until he felt very tired

''Go to sleep my little sister. Now I am here and I will make sure by all means that our human is not attacked. If someone is stupid enough to even think of reaching them they will be consumed by my flames leaving them in less than none of that you don't have to worry little sister``. Hedwig allowed her own quality magic to reach Ophis and this had the expected effect of calming the young serpent and it hid back inside the bottomless bag that was Hariric's right sleeve. There she would sleep in the meantime and recover from exhaustion. Growing up was not easy for her after all since she consumed much needed energy.

´´Thank you very much Hed. Go ahead and watch the trail. We may have eliminated the attack party of the masters but I don't trust in the least that we won't have some surprise from some hidden enemy such as the Bolton``. With a touch and then giving her a small pulse of her magic to make her more powerful, Hedwig flew into the air to make sure nothing happened. They were close to Winterfell but that wouldn't stop a raiding party whose sole objective was to stab him with a knife and that's it. She did not trust in the slightest, much less with the Boltons and the state they were in these days.

Dareon saw the beautiful black and white bird soar into the skies with great speed and he couldn't help but feel affected. She was such a beautiful and magnificent creature. Since he met Hariric Stark his life had turned upside down if he had to say so. Hariric Stark was very different from most of the world's nobles. He had seen the southern nobles see people as just chess pieces to be used for their benefit. Hariric Stark was different. He wouldn't deny that he saw people as pieces but at least he understood and understood them. With a touch to his horse and leaving his sister behind, he approached where Hariric Stark was at that moment, clearly looking calmly at everything but still with a well-trained Jojo.

´´You must try to be less daring Dareon. People don't expect you to be in any way. Everyone thinks of you as a simple child. Make them believe that's what's best for you until the time is right. Hariric felt the boy approaching at the same moment that he spurred his horse. He had trained his sensory ability to an unprecedented level. That and he had spent time teaching the boy magic. With the first thing to teach him being Occlumency in order to be able to control his own mind which was obviously a top level priority if you had to say so. One's mind is and always would be a single priority that should be controlled by all means.

''There's no one here to see me get that close so excuse me a little if I really think I'm trying to get answers to what is obviously a most unique puzzle. After all I don't think there is a better way to refer to his actions than as an enigma that is completely unknown to me``. Dareon looked at his associate. Despite being only eight years old he already looked like a young man of thirteen which was terrifying. The physical aspect of him was noticeable with a physical training that he himself had started. When he had complained about how massive the hariric training was he had only commented that his magic would heal him for the most part.

not here. But Winterfell has too many spies. Maester Wallys on the one hand is a man who will not refuse to inform the citadel. I am more than sure that the citadel at this moment must be questioning what happened to its attack team. And that's without mention for the Bolton spies. It is not so easy my dear friend``. Hariric could see in Dareon a mixture of two people: Neville Longbotton and Blaise Zabini. Neville was brave and somewhat honorable. Blaise was the epitome of a Slytherin. There were few who could compare to the young Slytherin. And Dareon reminded him a lot of both of them with more of Blaise's mentality coming his way.

´´I am very surprised that you have not put an end to them already, although of course you are probably already thinking of a way to use them to your advantage to be able to get rid of the spies by all means and at the same time be able to create your own spy network although I don't understand how you will do it. Dareon was clearly interested in what his friend was planning. He would never betray him. Not for nothing but for the simple and simple reason that Dareon knew well enough not to bite the hand that gives you a better chance in the world and at the same time is more powerful than anyone could ever imagine. . Only a fool will attack a person who can easily crush you.

''In that you are completely right. I intend to take advantage of this small number of rats to create my own rats. In this way the North will be able without any doubt what I am thinking of flourishing. The North has a lot of power and potential that up to now people have not been able to take advantage of it at all``. Hariric smiled with amusement just imagining what it would mean in a nutshell for the North to begin its expansion plans. Since I was one hundred percent sure that this would be more than interesting to know for everyone. The North would flourish and reach a new level of that I had no doubt about it really but it would take a lot of luck and help for it

´´You are very confident that the North will be able to prosper but how will you do it? How are you going to make the North flourish into a powerful kingdom considering that the Southerners will quite possibly use everything in their power to prevent it? They will have no intention of allowing the North to become the kingdom that you think they can become. Dareon thought for a moment that he would earn a rebuke of some kind for the way he had spoken to his lord knowing that his lord had no reason to condone this performance in any way. His lord for another moment just looked at him before nodding at him.

''That's what I was looking for when I asked you to come. I will not deny that I want to have a person with magic on my side in case of need. I won't deny it in the slightest but at the same time I want someone who is trustworthy and who is not afraid to ask me questions, do you know what is the best way to learn? Well, it's asking questions. Without asking questions, how can a group of people be expected to evolve?``. Hariric shook his head at the utterly idiotic thought of many lords not to accept being questioned by someone. The best way to see things is from various points of view it was that simple and straightforward really so for this I was grateful

I see. More brain then than most gentlemen who only want a group of sycophants who tell them what they want to know and who will only listen to the family when they want to make a contribution. Frankly now I see that you may succeed in your really complicated undertaking``. Dareon couldn't deny that it was true. The man before him was clearly much more intelligent hoping not to win but to learn from the things around him. Much smarter than the vast majority of southern overlords if he had to be blunt. For that alone he deserved even more respect than most idiots with delusions of grandeur who thought that just because they were born into a powerful family they were actually good enough.

´´What can I say I am a young gentleman who clearly knows what he is doing. Anyway, I had a few questions for you, Dareon. How's your magic feeling? have you felt anything any negative reaction?``. He had to find a way to make a Valyrian ring and a magical jewel. It would be an excellent focus form for his associate. In his case, he didn't see it as necessary, but he sincerely felt that it was the best thing that could be done for Dareon and his sister. A sister who was so smart. He reminded her of Tracy, the girl full of life but with a cruel note and at the same time a cunning without equal. Had she done something to the gods to receive a second Tracy in his life? Because if so, he was very interested in knowing that

No. The magic feels the same as before. I am able to manipulate it. However, despite my ancestry, both Valyrian and Rhoynar, I am unable to know where my magic goes. Does it go to the aspect of Mars? or does it go to the mercury aspect? I don't know which of the two it is and it's the same with my sister so you know. Dareon growled. He had tried to see where he was going in elemental terms. Hariric was curious because from what he could see he was capable of using all four elemental aspects, however he could use just one. However, his words caused something unexpected and Hariric hit him on the forehead, clearly annoyed.

´´You should never push things. Magic is a much more impressive power than you can imagine, Dareon, but to comprehend it, understand it, and accept it, a person must above all else know what they are doing. Pressing the magic is not good as the magic will react accordingly in a nefarious way. It is in your best interest that you have control of yourself but do not push it. And who knows you won't be left with just one aspect in the same way that I don't have a single aspect``. Which seemed strange to him but at the same time not so bad although of course considering that he could use the four elements as he wanted (although it would need a lot of practice) that did not mean that he could not train more thoroughly

´´Magic is incredible, however I understand why the faith of the seven and the masters despise it. In the case of faith, it is obvious that they do not want someone to compete with their ability to talk about miracles. Obviously people will not be happy with the idea of ​​someone being able to use magic and even more so because it would mean that they were born with a different power from the gods. Faith would quickly lose power. Dareon shuddered. Faith were not his favorite group if he had to say so himself. They were a bunch of nasties who felt like they were above everyone just because they were in favor of religion of all things.

´´And as for the teachers because magic gives them power. The power to change the world. The ability to shape the world at will. No wonder they don't like said power because it means in a few words a force that they themselves cannot control in any way. If you stop to grieve it is natural that they fear it``. Dareon could sense that Hariric was not happy with the maesters. Was there a reason for that? Perhaps, but what he did feel was that the magic would open many doors that in his mind should be used by them. However she would not deny that he would rather be on hariric's better side honestly

''Both groups fear what they don't understand so it's natural that they will do everything in their power and power to get control of what they don't have in any way. Dareon go back to your sister. I feel that she misses you and she needs to feel more secure. We'll be arriving at Winterfell in a while so you better be close to her. I will introduce you to my father tomorrow. You have to rest after all this trip``. With his words Hariric walked away from Dareon and prepared himself. Focusing on hedwig he saw what was a raider camp. If it wasn't because they looked too good he would have suspected mere thieves. Ordering her to just leave the leader alive, he let her swoop down and unleash her fire domain…needless to say, it wasn't nice to her enemies.

Hariric could feel Hedwig's gaiety of amusement and he smiled. He got the leader into his clutches and took him to his personal dungeon that he had established himself. This is where he interrogated his enemies or intended to. He designed the whole place so that he could make the person inside wish for the worst that could happen to him. This was done in order to get information from what he thought were enemies. Or to punish really cruel people. So that way he could get information from said man and if Bolton was really behind it well they would learn better that it was not to fuck with him of all things

-The North. Winterfell: Lord's Solar-

Rickard Styark was excited. When he received a letter from his son informing him that he was returning from the Domain he was pleased. He hadn't liked having his child in the South in the least. His confidence in the place had completely vanished and he felt he had better be very careful. His son had informed her that he brought good news with him. News that would make House Stark begin to grow in power and strength. Obviously he had liked to hear that but at the same time he knew that he did not have to make the people of his kingdom happy. Lines were being drawn more and more across the North with people growing disgusted with Stark rule.

The Stark alliance was made up of the houses: Stark, Dustin, Umber, Manderly, Mormont, Cerwyn, and Tallhart. They were staying strong but even though they were staying strong things were getting bad. The Glover house was outraged and it had been confirmed that they had ended up definitely relating to the Boltons with only their vassals the members of the Forrester house not being on their side. The loyalty of the Foresters is what had allowed him to learn from the recent Glover and Bolton alliance. The same was true of Hornwood House, which was on the Bolton side. House Ryswell had always resented the Starks after all so it was only natural.

The other houses were led by the karstark. Although the Karstark house was not an enemy of the Stark house since they considered themselves relatives the truth is that they were upset with the point that the Stark house had not gotten anything from the dragons. However if what his son was saying was true and he was telling the truth it could mean that House Stark could see themselves rising from where they were and gain the full alliance of the karstarks and their own subordinates. In this way, the Boltons and their allies would be completely tied up so that they could not act with such freedom. That was the amount of faith he had in his son which should say a lot about him as a father of course.

At his side, his wife, Lyarra, was anxiously awaiting the return of their son because she claimed that she had good news for the Starks. Although Lyarra was not a person who was interested in what political matters were, being a completely free spirit, she felt and knew better than anyone that House Stark needed all the help possible to survive. The Boltons were a house that felt too entitled and he knew that if the Boltons returned to power somehow it was more than possible that the Boltons would do many things that would do a lot of damage to the north, this was his opinion on the matter since he knew very well the Bolton interests of being a house that ruled in fear and terror

Lyarra had not taken kindly to her son's departure to see the southerners. Not because he felt that the northerners were better off than the southerners. Contrary to what some would think, she was aware that the southerners knew and were better in certain subjects. However the reason for her was her obvious mistrust of the people of the South. This was done not for anything in particular but because of the southerners' obsession with playing the so-called power game that they felt was the most important thing in their lives. Honestly Lyarra was upset at the point of the southerners devoting all their strength to such an annoying game if she had to be blunt especially a game that brought more trouble than good.

And he knew that one of these madmen might somehow try to get his hands on his son. Thinking that this way they would be able to gain an advantage of some kind. Or at least they would be able to achieve something although he didn't know what. She was suspicious by nature so she naturally feared for her son. It didn't help that she thought the southerners especially the maesters wouldn't take kindly to the presence of a person who was easily more intelligent than they liked him to be. They wouldn't take kindly to a person who could treat them like idiots, there was no doubt about that, but well, she couldn't do anything. Her son said that it was for the good of the North and it became clear to her that her son would do anything for the North

When Hariric wrote to them that he was returning and that he was very unhappy with the order of the maesters due to his blindness and complete myopia, she smiled with satisfaction. But she was still suspicious. Could someone try to kill her son? The southerners weren't the only ones she feared for she feared Bolton himself might try something. Lord Bolton had been humiliated and his son had brutally belittled him and if there was one thing she knew it was that neither of them would take it well to be treated in such a way. It was not in his nature. They were vicious and bastards of the highest order who felt above the others in the area, at least that's how they were.

''You know you shouldn't worry so much, our son is many things but a complete idiot he is not. He's probably already here and I honestly feel like he might as well be amused by something about it. Rickard could see his wife more than upset at that moment. He could understand it. She was a good woman and she was obviously interested in the safety of her son above all else. He couldn't deny that what she said was true. That her son had a healthy fear of what she could happen to her son. Like a good wolf if she had to say so herself. He could understand her fears seeing that the south was not and never would be a good place for northerners.

''Our son went south. The South where they think that all those who come from the North are nothing more than illiterate idiots. On top of that in the south where they play these stupid power games, what would have happened if someone thought he could get something out of kidnapping the heir to House Stark huh?``. Lyarra let her worry wash over her. How else was she supposed to feel? There was no better way to say it really and damn the consequences. Her husband only looked at her for a moment before sighing, obviously knowing that he had no way of winning the argument.

''Lyarra I don't think I have to say this but listen to me. Hariric is possibly one of the smartest people on this continent. If someone tries to use it in any way that will end badly for the one who tries it, believe me``. Rickard sighed. His wife was an amazing woman but she loved her son with all her heart and above all else she was a woman she couldn't stop caring about in any way.

It was then that his son entered the door... along with three trunks